Both Star Valley teams won on Saturday morning after losing in Friday’s semifinals to earn a trip to the Wyoming 4A State tournament.
The Lady Braves finished third in the 4A West Regionals played in Rock Springs while the Braves finished with the fourth seed.
The Lady Braves opened up the tournament against the home-court Rock Springs Tigers and the game was a battle from start to finish as Star Valley fended off the crowd and an energized squad 39-34. Emily Dana scored 17 and Ambree Nelson finished with 15 which was powered by a huge day at the free throw line.
In Friday’s semifinals, the Star Valley girls ran Ito eventual champion Green River and Isabel Vasco who had a dominant outing in a 45-25 score. Vasco finished with 31 points by herself as the Wolves went on to defeat Natrona County 56-42 in the regional finals.
The loss sent the Lady Braves into an early morning game against rival Evanston in an elimination game and the Devils jumped on Star Valley early and led for most of the game. Star Valley clawed back to take their first lead late in the third quarter and then pull away for a 44-33 win. Dana led the way with 14 and Avery England added 12 off the bench.
Despite a second game just two hours later, the girls rolled past Kelly Walsh 46-33 to earn the #3 seed. The Lady Braves will now face Cheyenne Central in the opening round of the 4A tournament on Thursday.
The Braves got off to a great start as they bounced Green River 58-36 in the opening round. Will Linford had a season-high 12 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Zane Hedges had a double-double as he scored ten and finished with 11 rebounds. Dylan Shumway also scored ten while Cooper Lancaster and Dayton Schwab scored nine each.
The semi-final round was a game against Kelly Walsh, a team that Star Valley defeated twice in the season but both by just one point. The game was again incredibly close and went to overtime where the Trojans got a buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat Star Valley, 56-53. Lancaster finished with 16 and ten rebounds while Linford scored 14. Shumway scored nine and Smith McClure chipped in seven.
Needing a win to qualify for state or go home, the Braves tipped off against home town Rock Springs on Saturday morning and got a spirited effort from the Tigers. Star Valley kept rallying from a deficit and eventually took the lead for good in the fourth quarter in a 64-50 win. The game ended with two technical fouls on the Tigers with Shumway draining free throws all the way up to 20 points in his total. Lancaster had 15 points and nine rebounds. Schwab scored 11 and Hedges put up eight.
In their final game of the tournament, the Braves battled with longtime rival Evanston in a back and forth affair but found themselves down by multiple possessions late in the game. The Devils held on for a 54-52 final, solidifying Star Valley into the #4 seed where they will now face 4A East Regional champion Sheridan on Thursday evening.
