Plainsmen Post A Dramatic Comeback As Laramie Sweeps Green River

A wild comeback capped by an overtime victory, plus a steady performance helped Laramie sweep Green River Thursday night in high school hoops.

The Laramie Plainsmen trailed by 18 points in the third quarter, but fought back, forced overtime and beat the Wolves 73-64.

The Lady Plainsmen finally got off to a good start and pulled away in the second half for a 56-43 win over Green River.

Both teams improved to 3-3 and got revenge for losses at neutral sites Dec. 8 in Riverton and Casper, respectively.

The Laramie boys were down 33-15 in the third quarter and found a way to rally. Transfer Christian Mickelson hit a running three-pointer at the buzzer that forced OT. The Plainsmen out-scored Green River 15-6 in the extra period.

LHS worked their way back in the game thanks to free throw woes by the Wolves. Green River went 11-25 at the foul line, that’s 44 percent, in the fourth quarter. That allowed the Plainsmen to trade two points for one, sometimes two for none.

Laramie called their last timeout with 4:10 left in the game. They stayed alive with their foul philosophy and some rushed looks by the Wolves. Green River’s Kyle Ivie committed a lane violation on his first free throw but made the second free throw with 4.2 seconds left. That made the score 58-55. Mickelson got the inbound pass and sprinted down the court for a 30-foot heave that went in at the buzzer. LHS controlled the extra session after that.

Mickelson had 19 points. Hudda Herrera contributed 18 points and a career-best 23 rebounds, while Will Tyser added 17 points off the bench.

Plainsmen head coach Travis Brown said we preached effort.

“From pregame through halftime through every timeout, and they never not had the effort. At times we had mental lapses I think. What’d we score, 11 points in the first half, it was ugly. There was a lid on the bucket, we couldn’t get anything in there and then what, you score 62 in the second half and overtime. They gritted it out. That’s a team that doesn’t pout when things aren’t going their way, they just believed to the end. Even with four minutes left in the huddle, it was nothing but positive, that we are still in this, and it showed to the end.”

Laramie shot just 13.5 percent in the first half but ended up at 30 percent for the game.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Plainsmen, as they play No. 3 ranked Kelly Walsh in Cheyenne at Storey Gym Friday at 12:30 p.m.

The Lady Plainsmen used a 12-2 run at the end of the first half and steadily opened a bigger lead in the second half, as they rolled to a 56-43 victory.

Jennifer Aadland had 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Kayla Vasquez added 12 points to lead LHS in the win.

Down 21-16, the run at the end of the second quarter gave Laramie a 28-23 lead at halftime.

They pushed their advantage to 19 points in the second half, as they pulled away.

Laramie shot 40 percent in the game, but that included 53 percent in the second half. They also out-rebounded Green River 44-29 and held the Wolves to 33 percent shooting.

Lady Plainsmen head coach Rod Tyson said his team came ready to play.

“They played right away from the tip, and that’s what I hope we can continue to do because if we can do that, we can be successful. The girls were getting after it. They weren’t holding back. The last time we played them, it felt like we were sleepwalking or left them (the team) at the hotel the first half, and then we started playing, but they really got after it. They were talking, and they were helping each other, and people were boxing out.”

Laramie is right back on the court Friday night against Kelly Walsh in Cheyenne at 8 p.m. The game is at Storey Gym.

KOWB (AM 1290) will broadcast both games live. The Plainsmen broadcast with David Settle on the call will start at noon. The Lady Plainsmen coverage will begin at 8 p.m. You can listen on the radio, the KOWB mobile app or online.