Cheyenne Central Wins Twice in Laramie

Cheyenne Central pulled out a close girls’ game and pulled away in the boys’ game to sweep Laramie in high school basketball last Friday night.

The No. 3 Central girls won 45-37 over the Laramie Lady Plainsmen in the first game of the doubleheader. The No. 4 Central boys defeated the Laramie Plainsmen 64-41 in the nightcap.

Laramie Lady Plainsmen

Laramie hung tough with their zone defense for the first half but trailed 18-12 at the break. In the second half, Cheyenne Central started to pull away. The Lady Plainsmen got down 35-21, early in the fourth and then switched to a full-court press with some half-court traps. The strategy sped up the Indians and forced turnovers.

Laramie head coach Rod Tyson said they had to change defenses.

“We had to, to get back in the game. The zone that we were running, they could’ve just held the ball, so we started trapping a little bit, at least make them think a little bit and make some bad passes.”

That paid off. Behind seven points from Janey Adair and six from Jennifer Aadland in the final quarter, LHS pulled within four points, at 39-35. Adair had a steal and lay-up attempt to cut it to two, but it rolled off the front of the rim. Central made just enough free throws to hold off the Lady Plainsmen comeback.

Tyson added, they did a lot better.

“We had a nice little game-plan. They were sticking to it. Our old bug-a-boo, a few turnovers here and there, cost us again, but they are getting better, and I think confidence-wise, the girls are believing that they can execute, and I think that’s helping.”

Laramie (3-9, 0-2) lost its sixth straight game. They were led by Aadland with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Adair added a career-high nine points off the bench.

Both teams shot 30 percent for the game. LHS was 13-24, 54 percent, at the foul line. The Indians were only 14-29, 48 percent at the charity stripe. That included just 8-19, 42 percent in the fourth quarter.

Cheyenne Central (12-1, 2-0) was led by Ellie Fearneyhough with a game-high 21 points.

The Lady Plainsmen head to Cheyenne Friday, Jan. 25 to play the Cheyenne South Bison at 5:30 p.m.

Laramie Plainsmen

Cheyenne Central jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never trailed, as they pulled away from Laramie for their 23-point victory.

Central got three 3-pointers from Tanner Weinberger in their early surge and led 14-7 after the first quarter. The Indians built their lead to 20 points, at 34-14, in the second before a small rally by LHS. The Plainsmen scored the last seven of the period and trailed 34-21 at halftime.

Central began the second half with a 9-2 run and led 45-23. Laramie managed to cut it down to 15 points in the fourth quarter, but that’s as close as they got.

Plainsmen head coach Travis Brown said his team failed to follow their plan.

“We didn’t stick to the keys to the game, unfortunately. When a team shoots 36 free throws, it’s going to be an awfully hard game to win… You know, that’s their strength. They are physical. They get the ball in the post, they draw a lot of fouls, and unfortunately, we just weren’t disciplined enough to take advantage of our strengths.”

Laramie (6-6, 0-2) was led by Christian Mickelson with 15 points. Hudda Herrera added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Enzi chipped in eight points off the bench. Three LHS players fouled out. The Plainsmen shot 29 percent for the game. They were just 3-21, 14 percent, from beyond the arc.

Cheyenne Central (10-3, 2-0) got 20 points and 10 rebounds from sophomore Lawson Lovering. They shot 48 percent from the floor. The Indians were 21-36, 58 percent, from the foul line.

Brown added, “The good news is this is a week where we get lots of practice opportunities to get ready for South.”

LHS will have four practice days before they take on the Cheyenne South Bison in the Capital City Friday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m.