One down, one to go

The regional tournament is in the books; now we’re bound for Casper for the culminating basketball tournament.

Where oh, where did the weeks go? Time flies when you’re having fun.

A lot of  action on both sides of the Big Horns and upsets muddied the state tournament waters. Thermopolis and Wright, topping state polls most of the year, were both upset in their respective tournaments, which sets up an interesting tournament opener. The two will play Thursday, not in the championship as was predicted all year, but fighting to get into a position to play for the title.  That might be the best game of all.

Lots of action at the Class 2A East Regional in Moorcroft.  Some great games; some ho-hum games.  Of course, we were cheering for the Lady Eagles, who had a fight on their hands in the championship game. Pine Bluffs gave the Eagles all they wanted, and almost a little bit more.  A great rally in the fourth quarter saved the defending state champs, and the pressure got to Pine Bluffs.

And of course, the Sundance vs. Wright game had the gym filled to the brim. A great crowd, and a boisterous one.  Fun to watch the crowds of fans, hear them cheering - or jeering - and when the underdog Sundance got the upper hand, there was pandemonium to the final whistle.

We were sitting in the Sundance crowd; not by choice, by accident, but since we were neutral it didn’t really make a difference.

We kept up on the Buffs. The Lady Buffs made it to the third game, and they made a gallant stand and narrowly missed a trip to Casper.  They came a few points short and I’m sure it was a disappointment for the senior players.

It’s always easy to say, “But we have a lot of good players coming back; we were young ... “ but that is little consolation to those who played their last game in a Lady Buff uniform

We thank them for their effort, for their spirt, and for giving their all.  You can stand tall knowing you did all you could, gave it your all.

Thanks for the memories you gave us.

The same thank you to the Buffs boys.  A long season cut short, but you gave it your best shot.  Thanks for your sportsmanship, dedication and hard work.  You gave it your best shot; that’s all that can be expected.