2015 Wyoming Class 4A West Basketball Tournament Previews

The following is an expanded version of a piece I penned for the Tuesday 10 March 2015 Uinta County Herald.

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The Ladies

A Bunch of High School Girls: Absolutely No Drama.

Good morning class! Welcome to Professor Harreld's High School Hoops Handicapping 101. Our textbook? The aggregate collection comprising the bodies of work of a half-dozen each boys and girls prep basketball teams. Our crystal ball’s target? The 2015 Wyoming 4A West basketball tournaments.

And though we remain the Equality State, as an Atlanta native and William & Mary alumnus, this son-of-the-South still prefers the time-honored tradition of ladies first.

Natrona County Fillies

Unbridled Equine

_ The 4A West: Six schools. Five cities. Four counties. Three winning conference marks. Two byes. But only one Natrona.

When Doug Diehl's Fillies tip-off Friday against the winner of the Riverton-Evanston four-five game, the Pretty Ponies will hoop with the swag of a program that last lost a conference game on 22 January 2011. Ironically, that 45-42 defeat came in Casper at the since-demolished Orange Dungeon to Evanston. Might that be why Coach Diehl said yes when former EHS point guard Austin Kofoed asked Doug for permission to marry his daughter Taylor?

Regardless, the Orange Empire isn't likely to succumb to any barbarians-in-the-paint this weekend at Red Devils Gymnasium. Led by 6'2” junior post Emily Robertson and dead-eye small forward Katie Mayhue, the Fillies should stampede through Uinta County as easily as Secretariat handled his inferior competition at the 1973 Belmont Stakes.

Regional theme song: Queen's “We Are the Champions”.

Rock Springs Lady Tigers

Ferocious Felines

But every Secretariat has its Sham, and in 2015, the only 4A West-five that one soberly (Yes, visitors, this, still, is Wyoming: but don't convey your keg three miles west!) might argue could give Natrona a game would be Darcy Bath's Tigresses. Senior floor general Stevie Hill has the ball-handling chops to thwart the vaunted Fillie full-court press, and if sophomore sharpshooter Maggie Justinak and senior post Mariah Smith both bring their A-games to the 82930, the Tabbies might take their pound (or two) of horse flesh before becoming yet another trophy on the wall of Diehl's title-hunting cabin. Shower some praise on Bath: Rock Springs is a solid squad and a dark horse candidate for a Final Four berth in Casper.

Regional theme song: Aretha Franklin's “Respect”.

Kelly Walsh Lady Trojans

The Women of Troy

If you can't earn a Thursday bye, the next best thing is to cry yourself a date with Green River in the three-six game. Kelly Walsh has a stacked interior one-two senior-punch in athletic 5'10” power forward Olivia L'Ami and true post 6'1” Sofia Hof. But the Greeks' weekend will hinge on the postseason varsity basketball-baptism of two freshmen: point guard Hallie Jimenez and small forward Maddie Vinich.

If this pair plays beyond its years, we're looking at an all-Casper final—326 miles from home.

Regional theme song: Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's “Young Girl”.

Riverton Lady Wolverines

Carpe Diem

_ Lifelong North Carolina fan Ron Porter, like all Tarheel faithful, is still mourning the loss of Dean Smith. But unlike in Chapel Hill, where the Baby Blue simply reload with a stable of annual one-and-dones, a dark cloud of a dearth of talent hovers over the Lady Wolverines in 2016. But while next season looks bleak, the moment may be right for exceedingly rare back-to-back trips to state for the Riverton girls.

Senior point Camey Fegler plays with more moxie than most of her male counterparts and off-guard Savannah Salisbury, despite her Milan catwalk 6' frame, handles the orange better than many opposing lead guards. If post Kiley Ridgway provides enough scoring down low and the supporting cast delivers, Coach Porter's smile might light-up brighter than the finished products grown on Tobacco Road. But it's now-or-never for the Fremont Five, a squad facing a dim immediate future.

Regional theme song: The Wallflowers' “One Headlight”.

Evanston Lady Red Devils

If You're (not) Scoring at Home

Class of 2010 Wyoming Coaches Hall of Fame-inductee Scott Ehlers is one competitive dude. He reminds this correspondent of his own father, a man who learned his basketball under the combative Adolph Rupp. And Evanston's Purple Sage Golf Course club pro is a master at game-planning and extracting the absolute most out of talent at-hand.

But, unfortunately, this year's Lady Devils are to offensive juggernaut what North Korea is to open-and-free society. Beyond 4A West leading scorer senior wing Alli Barker, whose Achilles Heel is a lack of quickness, and junior track star Brinae Sanders, who features agility-in-abundance but an uneven jump shot, Evanston, for points, leans on two freshmen reserves: Alli's little sister Hailey and Emery Wagstaff. But a little late-winter home-cooking never hurt anybody, and if the famously rabid Pitchfork faithful pack The Barn-the-Boom-Built for their girls like they always do their boys, it would be only the mildest of surprises to see Riverton fail to dispose of the same club thrice in 28 days.

Regional theme song: Madness' “Our House”.

A Green River Running Dry

Ask any 'poke and he'll tell you that it's rarely a good idea to change horses midstream. As such, even at the collegiate level, midseason coaching moves are as rare as Campbell County building a new high school. So when veteran cager Rick Carroll took the reins from Aric Hanusa, the New Year's fireworks in Sweetwater County's second city were more emergency-in-nature than celebratory.

And while the older (but self-described better-looking) brother of former Evanston boys varsity head coach Jerry Carroll definitely knows his roundball, a workman is only as good as his tools. Green River remains very much a work-in-progress. Adroit sophomore point Taylor Stoeger offers a glimmer of hope, but the Lady 'Pack, as presently presented, offers precious little punch.

Regional theme song: The Who's “Teenage Wasteland”.

  The Men
A Bunch of High School Boys: But No Clear-Cut Alpha Males.

Kelly Walsh Trojans

A Most Unwanted Gift: The Cowboy State’s Trojan Horses

Randy Roden’s preseason top-ranked Big Green Machine avenged its only two conference losses (Natrona, Evanston) with decisive round-two wins, whipping the pumpkin-hued Ponies by 18 and trashing the Tridents by 22 in Uinta County, a game in which the Trojans led 33-6—at the half! And while the Greeks’ pair of 4A West blemishes proves that KW is far from invincible, it appears that these near-east warriors of yore have already slain their fiercest opponent: expectations.

This isn’t former Natrona coach Roden’s first rodeo, and the veteran roundball floor director features a deep, tall, athletic, defense-first unit starting a quintet of seniors eager to prove the prognosticators had it right all along. Marcus Nolan is a lockdown defender and double-digit scorer. There may not be a steadier point in the state than Drew Petrie. And 6’5” sophomore reserve wing Jaxon Hiatt leads a stacked bench. To conquer the Trojans, sacrifices must be made. Blood—plus sweat and tears—must be shed.

Regional theme song: Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.”

Natrona County Mustangs

Tackling Dr. Naismith’s Game

Natrona County steamrolled its way to the 2014 4A state football title with a team featuring myriad young men who, this fall, will suit-up on Saturdays. However, gridiron success doesn’t always translate into victories on the 94’ by 50’ rectangle. But these pigskin Ponies can ball!

Chadron State running back signee and senior point guard Stevann Brown is a 5’9” blur who has developed a respectable jumper. Future Wyoming Cowboys Josh Harshman (handle, shooting) and Logan Wilson (defense, rebounding) team with 6’9”, 300-pound Eastern Michigan University offensive lineman signee Peter Bergman (low-block bully) to give Coach Shawn Gillum four next-level football players amidst the Mustang starting five.

That’s a ton of horsepower, but the most important cog on the NC quintet may be a man who will likely never don a facemask in college: Parker Browning is easily the squad’s most talented cager. But after hanging 11 on Evanston on January 30th in Casper, Browning was held to 2 in Uinta County just 3 weeks later as EHS avenged an 18-point loss. No one doubts the ‘Stangs are the state’s best at basket-brawl. But do they have the gravitas to consistently hang when the operative word switches from kill to skill?

Regional theme song: The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ “Tuff Enuff”.

Evanston Red Devils

Heirs to Two Dream Teams

It’s not supposed to happen: the third-smallest 4A basketball-playing school taking back-to-back state titles. But it did. And under two coaches. Bubba O’Neill retired at the top after his 2012 championship and Roy Barker capped a Hollywood rookie campaign by cutting down the nets in 2013.

But the bar forever has been raised in Pitchfork Country, and some legitimately ask if prep boys basketball expectations in the Cowboy State’s extreme southwestern corner are as unhealthy as the 2014 Red Devil football team’s travel schedule. But what former Kentucky great Scott Padgett said about Wildcat basketball is also spot-on regarding Evanston: "To an outsider, it sounds crazy. From an insider, you want crazy. If you want to be great, you want crazy.''

What’s also crazy? Little EHS may have the state’s best two prep ballers in senior Alek Johnson and junior Brock Ehlers. After that, the talent level, but not the commitment or passion, drops significantly.

The glass almost empty? This Evanston team was whipped by 18 at the Bill Strannigan Classic by South and by the same margin at Natrona, features a scoreless first quarter and blowout neutral-court loss to East, a flat home-opener stinker to Star Valley, a second-half collapse at Rock Springs and a 6-point first half in an unimaginably poor outing culminating in a 22-point thrashing in the 82930 to Kelly Walsh.

The glass overflowing? Team Trident whipped defending state champ Gillette on a neutral floor, swept Laramie, scalped the Indians at Central, erased a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit to win at KW in OT, punked the Ponies at home and hammered Riverton aside the reservation.

Will the real Red Devils please shed their warmups?       

Regional theme song: The Who’s “Who Are You?”

Riverton Wolverines

Lethal Outside, Soft Looking In

The Wind River Casino is a 24-7-365 beacon of vibrant luminescence and unceasing noise amidst the bitterly cold wintry backdrop of Wyoming’s unforgiving Fremont County. But the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s elders may want to double-check the efficacy of their moneymaker’s generator, for Coach Dick Quayle’s Wolverines are more than capable of shooting-out the lights. For confirmation, ask the tournament’s hosts.

The Weasels firebombed Evanston with 6 trifectas—5 off the bench—and scorched the Pitchforks by 18 in Red Devils Gymnasium the first Thursday of last month. And if nationally-renowned golfer and reserve off-guard sophomore Easton Paxton holes yet another hardwood double-eagle, Riverton is going to Casper loaded for bear, Camels, Indians and Broncs.

But the Fremont Five’s long game isn’t always plugged-in, and despite tremendous talent, 4A West leading scorer Brandon Fullerton and backcourt mate lead guard Chris Quayle, a coach’s son with a flair for late-game heroics, have struggled with consistency. Couple this with a lack of interior skill, and Riverton’s road ahead, while alluring, remains uncertain.     

Regional theme song: The Ohio Players’ “Love Rollercoaster”.

Rock Springs Tigers

The Humpty-Dumpty Bengals

The pieces are there: again, just ask Evanston, which surrendered a 10-point halftime lead in Tiger Arena, losing 49-46 to Rock Springs on a creepy, kooky Friday the 13th last month in a game delayed more than 10 minutes due to an overly-enthusiastic student section lacing the hardwood with baby powder. No, LeBron James doesn’t cake himself in talcum for the man-eaters.

But 6’4” junior wing Demetrius Davenport is as athletic as any prep Cowboy State baller. His 15 second-half points versus the Pitchforks keyed Rock Springs’ upset win, and 2014 Flaming Gorge Classic Three-Point Shootout champion (and nationally-ranked boxer) Wrylee Padilla will be in range as soon as the Tiger team bus passes Little America. Throw in the services of a finally healthy 6’4” Cole Alexander and perhaps head coach Blair Einfeldt, an English teacher by day, pens another plot twist, culminating in a trip to Casper, for a five that, recently, virtually no one gave even a nickel’s chance of advancing.

Regional theme song: The Beatles’ “Come Together”.

Green River Wolves

Teen Wolves Seek Hollywood Ending

Perhaps no number is more associated with a sports-streak than 56. But should winless Green River fall Thursday in the three-six elimination game, the toothless Wolves march on consecutive scoreboard numerical futility would match the number of games in which the late Yankee Clipper notched a base-knock.

Just 90 miles west of home, Mrs. Robinson and all of Wolfpack Nation’s lonely eyes turn to bruising 6’4” senior post Hayden Love, an aggressive gargantuan more than capable of supplying the interior firepower to halt the Wolves steep, unenviable decline from competitive to struggling to laughingstock to pity case.

But can feisty senior point Kyle Goglio or sniping gunner Kamden Carroll contribute enough to keep the undomesticated canines out of yet another taxidermist’s hands? Like Elvis, Michael J. Fox has left the building. There is no next-level talent on the Wolves’ roster. Everyone wants Green River to win a game. But no one wants to be that team: the squad which finally lets the ‘Pack take a kill.

Regional theme song: Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”.

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Welcome to Evanston, fans. Enjoy all the games as you partake of fresh air, freedom and fun!