After a big win last Thursday to qualify for the state tournament, the Laramie Plainsmen lost their last two games at the 4A East Regional Tournament in Cheyenne.

Laramie (8-16) finished fourth and will have that seed from the East Conference at the 4A State Basketball Tournament in Casper.

Regional Recap

Last Friday night, a cold shooting second half hurt the Laramie Plainsmen in a 59-41 loss to second-ranked Gillette in the semifinals of the regional tournament.

Laramie trailed by only seven at halftime, but made only five field goals and shot just 25 percent from the field. The Camels steadily pulled away behind 54 percent shooting and took advantage of 18 LHS turnovers.

Jake Aadland scored 16 points to lead Laramie, while Andrew Garcia added nine points.

Kain Morehead led Gillette with 14 points.

In the third place game last Saturday, the Plainsmen lost to Cheyenne South, 49-39.

It was a game of scoring runs.

South jumped out 8-2. Laramie responded with a 16-3 run at the end of the first and start of the second quarter. It put LHS up 18-11. The Bison answered with a 19-2 spurt. They led 22-20 at half and extended to a 30-20 edge in the third. The Plainsmen came back with a 14-4 run that tied the game in the fourth quarter.

With a 40-39 advantage, South made seven free throws and a lay-up, while Laramie failed to score over the last four minutes of the game. The Plainsmen had four open looks from beyond the arc, but missed all four shots.

Aadland led LHS with 17 points. Laramie shot only 28 percent from the field, which included 16 percent in the second half.

The Bison shot 43 percent and were led by Isaiah Dicks with a game-high 21 points.

Up Next

The Laramie Plainsmen will take on the Kelly Walsh Trojans, the West Conference top seed, in the first round of the 4A State Basketball Tournament. Thursday’s game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. tip-off at Casper College.

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