The winter sports season officially came to an end on Saturday as the Braves battled the Natrona Mustangs for third place in the 4A state championship game. Despite a very good shooting performance, Star Valley fell behind late and the Mustangs put the game away at the free throw line, 75-66. 

Star Valley jumped out early with a hot start but it didn’t last as Natrona matched their efforts and led by three points at the half. 

The two squads traded scoring runs in the second half but it was Natrona who built a three possession lead in the latter portion of the fourth quarter, forcing the Braves to foul. The Mustangs made 70-percent of their charity stripe pitches and the Braves could get no closer than three as time ran out on the season. 

Max Jensen paced the team with a terrific shooting day and finished with 26 points which included six three-point baskets. Cooper Lancaster finished with 13 points while PJ Horsley and Zane Hedges finished with eight and seven points respectively. 

Natrona had four players in double figures with Colton Rogers scoring 20 and Konnor White finishing with 15. The Mustangs out rebounded the Braves 27-12. 

While the Braves did not come home with any hardware from the State tournament, they did complete a very successful season which included 20 wins. It was the final game for the team’s seniors, Jensen, Horsley, Kash Lancaster and Simon Gaskell.