Powell's Mills named top Scholar-Athlete

Wyoming’s top prep football Scholar-Athlete for 2008 is Gavin Mills of Powell High School. Mills, who has received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy, was honored Saturday night at the 15th annual banquet of the Wyoming Chapter, National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. As the state’s top scholar-athlete, Mills was presented scholarships totaling $2,400.

A total of 14 high school and two University of Wyoming football scholar-athletes were honored at the banquet. Wyoming Chapter President Mike Schutte said $21,400 in scholarships was handed out at the sold-out event, held for the first time in Laramie at the University of Wyoming Conference Center.

Mills is a three-time First Team All-State and All-Conference honoree and was the Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. On offense as a wide receiver, Mills had 66 career receptions for 905 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a free safety, Mills recorded 335 defensive points, including 67 unassisted tackles, 103 assisted tackles, 11 pass break-ups, 11 pass interceptions and three fumble recoveries over his career.

Mills ranks first in his Powell High School senior class of 134 students with a 4.0 GPA (Grade Point Average) and a score of 27 on his ACT. A three year member of the National Honor Society, he was awarded the Distinguished Scholastic Achievement Award for the past three years, the Wyoming Coaches Association’s Academic Award the past three years and he has won three academic letters.

Mills is the current student body president at PHS. He is a member of the Future Farmers of America, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Student Peer Abstinence Movement, and he is the First Chair and Percussion Section Leader in Band. He is also a three-year letterman in both basketball and track. He has earned All-State and All-Conference honors in track during 2006 and 2007.

New UW head football coach Dave Christensen addressed the athletes and the 480 attendees at the banquet, and Schutte delivered a motivational speech honoring the assembled athlete’s dedication to the game and hard work, both on and off the field of play.

All of the Wyoming Chapter’s honorees received commemorative plaques and $1,200 scholarships.

Ten state residents were also recognized for their respective contributions to high school and UW fandom, contributions to amateur football, plus achievement in coaching and officiating.

(The Wyoming Chapter Selection Committee, based on the high number of outstanding nominations, chose as finalists two backs each from Classes 1-A and 5-A.)
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Wyoming’s Top Scholar-Athlete for 2008
Gavin Mills, Powell (back)
Finalists and Special Award Recipients
Class 1-A
Trevor Ross, Southeast (lineman)
Rage Geringer, Guernsey Sunrise (back)
Andrew Petersen, Cokeville (back)
Class 2-A
Chad McKinney, Encampment (lineman)
Duell Petsch, Burns (back)
Class 3-A
Casey Hoskinson, Glenrock (lineman)
Duncan Jones, Wright (back)
Class 4-A
Kyle Lenz, Wheatland (lineman)
Gavin Mills, Powell (back)
Class 5-A
Nathan Bales, Green River (lineman)
Tom Earl, Natrona County (back)
Garrett Heusinkveld, Campbell County (back)
University of Wyoming
Michael Ray, Safety
Jake Edmund, Linebacker
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The Keith and Joyce Bloom Scholar-Athlete Courage Award
Brett Johnson, Kemmerer
Scholar-Athlete Perseverance Award
Nathan Rogers, Rock Springs
Greatest UW Football Fan
Rod Chisholm, Laramie
Brian Morgen, Sheridan
Greatest High School Football Fan
Van, Barbara and Travis Johnson, Evanston
Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football
Bob Hammond, Laramie
Steve Core, Green River
Troy Wilkinson, Greybull
Football Coach Career Achievement Award
Don Dinnel, Evanston
The Ox Zellner Football Official Career Achievement Award
Rusty Anderson, Casper

Finalists named for NFF scholar-athlete

LARAMIE – Wyoming’s top prep football scholar-athlete for 2008 will be chosen from a field of 12 finalists from 12 different state high schools, according to the Wyoming Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, sponsor of the award.

The finalists will be honored at the Chapter’s 15th annual awards banquet, set for March 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn and University of Wyoming Conference Center.

Additionally, two other prep athletes will be recognized for their courage and perseverance and two University of Wyoming football team members will be honored for their academic and football achievements. All will receive commemorative plaques and $1,200 scholarships from the chapter and the state’s top scholar-athlete, who will be announced at the event, will receive an additional scholarship.

Ten state residents will also be recognized during the banquet for their respective contributions to fandom, contributions to amateur football and achievement in coaching and officiating. The banquet’s keynote address features new University of Wyoming head football coach Dave Christensen.

The 2009 banquet marks the first time the event has been held in Laramie.

Wyoming Chapter President Mike Schutte said the finalists, including a lineman and a back from each division, were chosen from a field of 85 nominations from prep coaches across the state. Recognition as a scholar-athlete is based upon a combination of a player’s academic achievement, football skill and community involvement. Each nominee receives a certificate from the Wyoming Chapter.

Schutte said another sellout crowd is anticipated for the popular banquet. “It is an exciting and motivational evening and anyone can attend," Schutte said.

Tickets are $30 and may be purchased by contacting Schutte at 970-484-2797 or at MShootee@starband.net.

The Wyoming Chapter of the NFF-CHF is the second largest chapter in the nation out of 120 chapters. Schutte said his goal to have the largest chapter from the least populated state is within reach.
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The Wyoming Chapter Selection Committee, based on the high number of outstanding nominations, chose as finalists two backs each from Classes 1-A and 5-A.
Finalists and Special Award Recipients are:
Class 1-A
Trevor Ross, Southeast (lineman)
Rage Geringer, Guernsey Sunrise (back)
Andrew Petersen, Cokeville (back)
Class 2-A
Chad McKinney, Encampment (lineman)
Duell Petsch, Burns (back)
Class 3-A
Casey Hoskinson, Glenrock (lineman)
Duncan Jones, Wright (back)
Class 4-A
Kyle Lenz, Wheatland (lineman)
Gavin Mills, Powell (back)
Class 5-A
Nathan Bales, Green River (lineman)
Tom Earl, Natrona County (back)
Garrett Heusinkveld, Campbell County (back)
University of Wyoming
Michael Ray, Safety
Jake Edmund, Linebacker
The Keith and Joyce Bloom Scholar-Athlete Courage Award
Brett Johnson, Kemmerer
Scholar-Athlete Perseverance Award
Nathan Rogers, Rock Springs
Greatest UW Football Fan
Rod Chisholm, Laramie
Brian Morgen, Sheridan
Greatest High School Football Fan
Van, Barbara and Travis Johnson, Evanston
Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football
Bob Hammond, Laramie
Steve Core, Green River
Troy Wilkinson, Greybull
Football Coach Career Achievement Award
Don Dinnel, Evanston
The Ox Zellner Football Official Career Achievement Award
Rusty Anderson, Casper

Plainsmen rally past Broncs

Richard Anderson photo
Laramie's Mason Orcutt looks to drive the lane against Sheridan Saturday at Plainsman Gym.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Trailing by 10 at halftime, it appeared as if the five Laramie High school seniors were going to close their home careers with another disappointing night.

A big third quarter gave them some life and a strong finish rewarded them some hope, as the Plainsmen rallied to down Sheridan 46-40 Saturday at Plainsman Gym.

It was the final home game for five Plainsmen seniors and after a tough second quarter, it appeared that it would be another disappointing night.

The Plainsmen, 2-5 in the 4A East Conference, 6-12 overall, stayed in the locker room at halftime for about as long as possible, and came out with a new focus.

“We just talked about that it was the last time in front of our home fans and how we wanted to be remembered, and we didn’t want to be remembered as a losing team; we wanted to go out with a win,” Laramie senior guard Dan Nachtigal said. “We just had to try to pump each other up, try to play for our fans and for ourselves, to see what we are made of.”

Laramie head coach Jason Mountain told the team at halftime that they needed to play hard for a reason.

“Despite any discrepancies they have with the program or with myself, they needed to play for something, and I didn’t feel that they were playing for much of anything in that first half, let alone the last couple of games,” Mountain said. “It must have lit a fire under them in the second half, because they came out intense and aggressive.”

With seniors Mason Orcutt (six points) and Jordan Rhodine (eight points) taking control in the paint in the third quarter, the Plainsmen made a big run and chipped away, cutting the lead to 31-30 going into the fourth quarter.

A 3-pointer by junior Cameron Fry to open the fourth quarter gave the Plainsmen their first lead since 1-0. Laramie never trailed again, although the game wasn’t decided until the final seconds.

Leading 41-40, Orcutt hit 3-of-4 free throws and Nachtigal hit 2-of-2 from the line to close the game. Orcutt had a big block in the final seconds to preserve a four-point lead.

The four Laramie seniors who played in the game (Karsten Hiser was injured), scored 24 of the team’s 32 points in the second half. Playing the final home games of their LHS careers were Nachtigal, Orcutt, Rhodine and Allen West.

“I thought that was going to be motivation enough in itself, the fact that it was Senior Night,” Mountain said. “I played all of my seniors a lot of minutes and I started all the seniors that I had with the exception of Karsten, who, of course, was hurt. They played very, very well and they led the charge in the third quarter when we needed to the most.”

Orcutt led the Plainsmen with 13 points, with Fry and Rhodine adding 11 and nine respectively.

Austin Woodward led the Broncs, 2-5, 8-10, with 15 points.

It not only was the home finale, but it was a much-needed win for the Plainsmen, who were thumped 84-43 by second-ranked Gillette on Friday night.

“After such a tough loss to Gillette (Friday night), I’m glad we rebounded back. Collectively, we played very, very well,” Mountain said.

What the win does for the team, Mountain added, is it lets them know exactly where they need to go.

“I hope we continue to stay on that path and we continue to push forward,” Mountain said. “We need more wins under our belt for conference, we’re still in contention for a good seeding. We’re just hoping to stay optimistic now and we’ll focus on the Cheyenne schools.”

The Plainsmen play at Cheyenne Central Friday night and Cheyenne East on Saturday.

“It’s going to be a dogfight for that two, three, four, five seed, it really is,” Mountain said. “We know who we want to play at regionals, we know who we don’t want to play. It’s just about jockeying for position and trying to get the best seed possible.”

Added Nachtigal: “Gillette is up there, but the rest of the teams are pretty even. If we keep winning, we’ll get a good seed at (regionals).”

LHS basketball sweeps Riverton

Richard Anderson photo
Laramie's Allen West looks to grab the ball before Riverton's Chad Hopkins can get to it Saturday night. At bottom, Lady Plainsmen freshman Kyleigh Hiser goes after a loose ball.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Laramie High School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams both needed a win in the worst way and got a shot in the arm on Saturday night with a sweep of Riverton in East Conference play at Plainsman Gym.

The Lady Plainsmen broke an eight-game losing skid with a big 54-26 victory, while the Plainsmen ended a six-game slide and pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 77-64 victory.


Plainsmen start, finish strong
At times this season the Plainsmen, 1-4 in league play and 5-11 overall, have started well, but not finished strong and visa versa. On Saturday, it was a good all-around effort. The Plainsmen outscored the Wolverines in all four quarters and played especially strong in the second half.

“I guess we felt like we had a chance the entire game,” Laramie coach Jason Mountain said. “My guess started each quarter well again and that was a focus for us all week in practice. We were hanging with them. There were a couple of lulls here and there., but all-in-all, the guys started and finished the game very, very well. They worked together, everyone contributed and we had a good time.”

Karsten Hiser had 13 points in the first half, as the Plainsmen trailed only once in the first quarter and led 19-15 after eight minutes of play. Riverton, behind Chad Hopkins, led four times before the Plainsmen got a big 3-pointer from Hiser to break a 33-33 tie and then close with four straight for a 40-35 halftime lead.

Sophomore Nick Mayes then came off the bench and scored nine points in the third quarter as the Plainsmen outscored the Wolverines 14-12.

Laramie broke the game open with a 10-0 run to begin the fourth quarter on a pair of 3-pointers by Cameron Fry and two baskets by Allen West. Laramie led by as much as 18 and Riverton got no closer than 13.

“Nick Mayes, holy cow, nine points in the third quarter -- his only nine of the game,” Mountain said. “He showed why he is a varsity player. He gave us three good quarters, but he had a great one in the third quarter. Cameron Fry hit some big 3s as well in the fourth.”

Four Plainsmen scored in double figures, led by Fry with 14, Jon Sorenson and Hiser with 13 each and Dan Nachtigal with 11.

“I told me guys that that was an excellent, well-rounded job, just a team effort,“ Mountain said. “My post guys were working hard -- their post got his scoring in -- but they battled all game long. Our guys got down the floor well in transition. Karsten didn’t score in the second half, but he had an amazing charge in the first half.”

Hopkins led the Wolverines, 2-3, 6-11, with 27 points, whiled Corbin Nichols added 22.

The Plainsmen will now begin the second half of conference by hosting Gillette and Sheridan next weekend with a little confidence.

“It’s kind of a now or never mentality and we needed this one,” Mountain said. “We started the same way last year. We were down 0-4 and we ended up winning four of out last six and this is the way to do it. We have Gillette and Sheridan next weekend, so this will give us that confidence that we need.”

Lady Plainsmen roll
Riverton made a late run to cut the Laramie lead to 11-6 at the end of the first quarter. That was as close as it got. The Lady Plainsmen, 1-4, 6-10, outscored Riverton 33-12 in the next two quarters and never looked back.

“The girls are quite happy,” Lady Plainsmen coach Rod Tyson said. “We still had a lot of unforced turnovers, stuff that has been nagging us in close games, so we have to keep working. But it always nice to get a win.”

Although the depleted Wolverines, who were playing the game without three starters, stayed with Laramie a little in the first half, Tyson said the game was in control.

“At no time did we feel that we were going to lose control of the game,” Tyson said. “That is always nice.”

As is usually the case, Tyson got his entire bench in the lop-sided game, as 14 Lady Plainsmen saw action and 10 scored.

Sophomore Amber Vandiver led the way with 12 points, followed by Alyssa Schmidt with 10 and Kyleigh Hiser with seven.

“That’s how we normally play,“ Tyson said. “When we play well, everyone contributes in some form or another. We’re getting back to that. But it is all about being smart and staying as a team.”

Brook Poffenroth led Riverton, 0-5, 5-12, with 10 points.

Laramie will begin the second half of league play at Gillette and Sheridan next weekend, but they will go on the road knowing that they can get some good results out of solid play.

“The win helps us more with confidence knowing that the things we’re doing will work,” Tyson said. “We just have to keep going.”

Green River earns sweep of Laramie

Richard Anderson photos

Laramie senior Brea Curry breaks down the court after a steal before converting a layup Friday against Green River. At bottom, Laramie junior Jon Sorenson tried to get past a couple of Green River defenders.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Laramie Lady Plainsmen had the makings of a nice home-court win against Green River on Friday night.

The problem was, their was still eight seconds left and the Wolves had the ball.

Trailing by one point, Green River’s Dani Hardy hit a running floater just inside the 3-point line as time ran out to sink the Lady Plainsmen 51-50 at Plainsman Gym.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Green River ran past the Plainsmen 68-51.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the 5-5 Lady Plainsmen, who battled back from a five-point deficit with two minutes remaining.

Laramie coach Rod Tyson credited the Wolves for making one more play.

“It was a deep shot. You make some of those and you miss some of those,” Tyson said. “We tried to put pressure on, keep her in front, and I thought we had pretty good pressure. Obviously, she made the shot.”

Laramie’s McKenzie Harris hit 1-of-2 free throws with 8.1 seconds left to set up the final play.

“Whether she gets loose or not, she still had to make the shot,” Tyson said of Hardy. “She made the shot. Sometimes you are on the good end of those things, sometimes you are on the bad end. That’s just part of the game.”

It a tight defensive battle, the Lady Plainsmen had the slight edge in the first half, leading 7-6 at the end of the first quarter and 21-18 at halftime. Green River hit a last-second shot to close the third quarter for a 36-35 edge with eight minutes to play.

Green River’s biggest lead came late in the fourth quarter on a basket by Hardy and a 3-pointer by Sarah Pickle.

The Lady Plainsmen clawed their way back with a 3-pointer by junior Alyssa Schmidt and tied the game at 46-each on a steal and layup by senior Brea Curry. Laramie led 49-48 on a basket by Kylie Olson and a free throw by Kyleigh Hiser with 33 seconds left.

Hardy led the Wolves, 6-6, with 23 points.

Tyson said his young team is getting a little tougher and smarter, which showed in the final couple of minutes.

“One thing that I know is we are not going to give up, we’re always fighting,” Tyson said. “We could have easily given up with a couple of minutes left.”

Hiser, just a freshman, came off the bench to lead Laramie with 13 points.

“Kyleigh Hiser is becoming a real steady force for us,” Tyson said. “That’s a good thing. She didn’t make too many of her jump shots, but she is always pounding the ball real tough. She’s made a lot of progress -- she’s only a freshman.

“McKenzie Harris really picked it up for us. The good thing about our team is somebody stepping up different every game.”

Harris scored six points, all in the second half.

The Lady Plainsmen will return to action on Saturday at Rock Springs, beginning at 6 p.m.

Plainsmen start slow
Too little, too late might be an understatement for the Plainsmen at times this season. It certainly was on Friday night, as the talented Wolves led from start to finish.

Laramie did make a run, though, outscoring Green River 19-2 to begin the fourth quarter, after the Wolves led 54-27 at the end of three.

The Plainsmen, 4-6, cut the lead to 10 with 3:30 to play, but could get no closer.

Laramie coach Jason Mountain told his team at the end of the third quarter that it was now or never.

“But I’m tired of us making those late fourth-quarter runs,” Mountain said. “I’ve said this time and again, it’s too little, too late sometimes. Two out of the last three games we have tried to claw our way back into it. We were down way to far; we dug ourselves a huge hole.

Mountain added that it is easy to play well when there is nothing on the line, when you are down by 27 points.

“There’s no pressure on you,” he said. “I tried to light the fire on them several times and it didn’t seem to grab on.”

Without leading scorer Dan Estes, the Plainsmen have had problems with a leader out on the court, especially in these situations.

“That was a big part of what went out when we lost Dan Estes.” Mountain said. “I think a lot of our identity went and we’re still trying to regain that and try to find ourselves still. I think somebody needs to step up. Allen West chose to do that last Saturday, but really no one chose to do it (Friday night). Really, I don’t need just one guy, I need everybody because I have a bunch of guys who are hard workers, but aren’t all-state players. I need somebody to step up and act like an all-state player.”

Green River (8-4) was paced by Drew Martinez’s 24 points. The Wolves jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the game and led 19-6 after one period and 38-18 at halftime.

Mountain said there is no doubt that the Wolves are a talented team.

“They have a great ballclub,” Mountain said. “They are very athletic, very long, just basketball-oriented. They know where to go, they know the looks.”

Karsten Hiser led the Plainsmen with 13 points, followed by Jon Sorenson with nine and Mason Orcutt with eight.

Laramie will look to bounce back Saturday at Rock Springs, with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Hooper, Bulldogs roll past Lady Plainsmen

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Some combinations hurt. Saturday‘s combination of poor shooting by the Laramie Lady Plainsmen and the outstanding play of Alliance’s Jordan Hooper were deadly.

Hooper, the reigning Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, scored 32 points and had several big defensive plays to lead Alliance past Laramie 54-39 at Plainsman Gym.

The 6-foot-2 Bulldog junior showed all of the tools that has Division I college coaches knocking on her door. In fact, Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski and associate head coach Gerald Mattinson were in attendance at Saturday‘s game. Hooper has already made a recruiting trip to Stanford, while other national powers such as Tennessee are said to be interested. Hooper is also highly recruitted in volleyball, especially by nationally-ranked Nebraska.

Hooper helped break open a relatively close game at 25-23 with a 20-4 run, highlighted when she blocked a Lady Plainsmen shot, grabbed the loose ball and took it coast-to-coast for a layup. Hooper scored 20 of the team’s 32 points in the second half.

The win moved Alliance, Class B runnerups last season in Nebraska, to 9-1 on the season. Hooper helped lead Alliance to the state title her freshman season.

“We tried several things. We doubled her and she kicked it out and they hit a couple of 3s on us,” Laramie coach Rod Tyson said. “That is a good, smart team. But if we make some shots, we’re right in the game.”

The Lady Plainsmen (5-4) had more shots from the field in the contest, but couldn’t get those shots to fall with just 16 field goals, including four 3-pointers.

“The biggest difference was that we could not make any shots," Tyson said. "With that, we had a lot of tips and still some opportunities, but we turned it right back over. We had several things that could have helped us, we just didn’t get it done.”

Saturday’s game was the first for Laramie since a loss to Gering, Neb., on Dec. 19, although the Lady Plainsmen did play an alumni game on Dec. 27.

Tyson said he wasn’t sure if the layoff hurt the Lady Plainsmen.

“It’s hard to say because I haven’t been in a situation with these girls after a long layoff,” Tyson said. “I don’t know if that had something to do with it or not. I guess we’ll find out in the future. I think, by looking at the jayvee game, the girls were ready to play. Defensively, our presses were doing a good job. Maybe the layoff had something to do with our shots, but we didn’t shoot very well in the last two or three games.”

One thing Tyson was sure of, though, is his players need to be more confident with their shot.

“After you start missing, you’re confidence gets down,” he said. “Instead of thinking the next time I shoot it I am going to make it, you’re nervous about missing it. If you think you are going to miss, you’re probably going to miss.”

The good news for the Lady Plainsmen: They’ll get right back at it on Monday and prepare for Friday’s home game with Green River.

“We’re playing every weekend from here on out, so we have to get ready and get to work,” Tyson said.
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BULLDOGS 54, LADY PLAINSMEN 39
ALLIANCE (54): Jordan Hooper 12 6-7 32, Rahne Kunzeman 3 0-0 8, Devan Collins 2 4-4 8, Lindsey Briggs 1 1-2 3, Jessie Mattox 0 1-2 1, Jenny Peltz 1 0-0 2, Jayne Friesen 0 0-0 0, Haylee McVicker 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Clarke 0 0-0 0, Billie Kunzeman 0 0-0 0, Morgan Jurgens 0 0-0 0, Morgan Kielwitz 0 0-0 0, Olivia Conley 0 0-0 0, Steph Burger 0 0-0 0 , Lauren Reiber 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 12-15 54.
LARAMIE (39): Brea Curry 2 0-0 6, Kiley Dodson 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Schmidt 1 1-2 4, Maddie Francis 1 0-0 2, Dani Harvey 0 0-0 0, Amber Vandiver 2 1-2 5, Krista Fanning 1 0-0 2, Kylee Anderson 2 0-0 4, Kylie Olson 3 0-0 6, Toby Dunlavy 0 0-0 0,Kyleigh Hiser 3 0-0 7, Ariela Schreibeis 0 0-0 0, Ragen Wilson 1 0-0 3, Kensie Harris 0 0-0 0, Allie Riegal 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 2-4 39.
Alliance 6 16 12 20 — 54
Laramie 6 12 8 13 — 39
3-Point Goals — Alliance: 4 (Hooper 2, Kuntzman 2). Laramie: 5 (Curry 2, Hiser, Schmidt, Wilson). Fouled out — none. Intentional fouls — none. Technicals — none.

Plainsmen win home opener

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Finally might have been uttered a few times on the court and on the bench for the Laramie Plainsmen. Not only were they playing at home for the first time this season, but they played well down the stretch., stopping Alliance, Neb., 65-51 Saturday at Plainsman Gym.

The Plainsmen finished strong after an auspicious beginning that saw the game delayed for about a half hour when the Laramie student section threw baby powder in the air, which got on the court and was hard to remove.

Laramie was hit with a technical foul for delay of game and it was 2-0 before the actual opening tip.

The Plainsmen, however, played through the delay and the absence of leading scoring Dan Estes (25 ppg), who is out for the season after a snowboarding accident over the holiday break.
What Laramie did was turn to senior post Allen West and a balanced scoring attack to hold off Alliance.

West had a career high 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Cameron Fry added 10. Eight Plainsmen got in the scoring column, with seven scoring six or more points.

“It was very balanced tonight,” Laramie coach Jason Mountain said. “ I got a lot of production out of my bench, which was really nice to see. And Allen West was amazing. He kept us in the Gering game and he really contributed in our win tonight.”

Without Estes, West said that it had to be a team effort.

“We expected the entire team to step up,“ West said. “Everybody just did their part and it came together.”

Mountain has told the team that while they have to find the missing 25 points a game, they don’t need someone to put up 20 shots a night.

“We can’t have just one guy, it has to be a couple of guys,“ Mountain said. “Tonight, I thought those guys was Cameron Fry, one those guys was Allen West. I thought Nick Mayes’s points off the bench were great for us.

“It was balanced and a couple of starters throwing in three or four here and three or four there, that always helps. If we can get that night in and night out, we’re going to have chances to win basketball games."

Laramie led for most of the first half, only to see Alliance come on strong late in the second quarter to take a 30-28 lead at the halftime break. The Plainsmen then turned to a 3-2 zone defense and shut down Alliance in the second half.

Laramie outscored Alliance 22-12 in the fourth quarter.

“They were getting too many open looks and we shifted to that 3-2 and it helped up out considerably,“ Mountain said. “It helped stemmed the tide, absolutely.”

It was somewhat of a strange start and day for the Plainsmen, but a strong finish, something that Mountain has been waiting to see.

“Even with the delay, even with the technical foul starting down 0-2, the fact that we haven’t been home in a long time, I thought we stepped up well and responded in a fashion that we needed to,” Mountain said.

Laramie, 4-5, returns to action next Friday when it host Green River.
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PLAINSMEN 65, BULLDOGS 51
ALLIANCE (51): Mike Peltz 9 4-7 25, Trevor Thompson 4 2-2 10, Scott Langemeier 4 1-3 12, Jake Peltz 0 0-0 0, Brandon Heckman 1 0-0 2, Lethaniel Loley 1 0-0 2, Coltan Merritt 0 0-0 0, Nathan Griess 0 0-0 0, Chris Badenhooop 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 7-12 51.
LARAMIE (65): Mason Orcutt 4 0-2 8, Karsten Hiser 3 2-2 8, Jordan Rhodine 3 0-0 6, Dan Nachtigal 1 4-10 6, Jon Sorenson 0 2-2 2, Cameron Fry 2 5-5 10, Allen West 6 6-9 18, Nick Mayes 3 1-1 7, Zack Vaporis 0 0-0 0, Kyle Kuhn 0 0-0 0, Zeke Denison 0 0-0 0, Derek Graves 0 0-0 0, Tate Hilgencamp 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 20-31 65.
Alliance 7 23 9 12 — 51
Laramie 13 15 15 22 — 65
3-Point Goals — Laramie: 1 (Fry). Alliance: 6 (M. Peltz 3, Langemeier 3). Fouled out — none. Intentional fouls — none. Technicals — LHS administration.