(Thermopolis, WY) – It’s been a while since the Chiefs and Bulldogs mixed it up on the basketball court. It was once the greatest rivalry in Class 2-A basketball when Wyoming Indian and Lovell met on the hardwood. That long-standing rivalry was renewed at Thermopolis early Friday afternoon in the opening game of the Big Horn Classic for both schools.
Lovell is a big, skilled, senior-laden, talented team coming off the Class 3-A state championship a year ago.
Their size was difficult for the Chiefs to handle. Adding to head coach Craig Ferris’ challenges were the absence of two starters. His son Parlayne, a senior, is out for the season with a knee injury suffered earlier this month, and fellow senior Cordell Spoonhunter is recovering from a back injury and didn’t play against Lovell.
Lovell looks like a college team with 6-8 senior Owen Walker and fellow senior 6-7 Kyle Wilson. They dominated the paint in the early going, swatting shots, and Walker tallied a pair of dunks out of the Bulldogs half-court offense.
Wyoming Indian is a team that doesn’t rattle easily, but the Chiefs were off their game against Lovell’s size in the opening half. Uncharacteristically, they turned the ball over in the half-court and their long-range shooting clanked off the unforgiving rims for the opening 10 minutes of the game.
Damon Willow hit a short-range shot and Ladanian Brown a 3-pointer for the only offense the Chiefs could generate in the opening period as they fell behind 18-5.
That changed in the second period and in the second half. The Bulldogs hung onto their early lead, but the game evened out with the Chiefs able to hit inside, force a few turnovers off the talented Lovell guards, and run the floor a little.
After two months of four games a weekend during the constant tournament portion of the season, the Chiefs were tired.
Friday’s game at 1:30 was their only one in Thermopolis; they played the rest of the Classic in Worland.
Heeyei’Niitou Monroe Black paced the Chiefs with a dozen. Walker led all scorers with 22. Kaeson Anderson scored 18 for Lovell, including four 3-pointers, and Owen Edwards tallied 10.
A quick bus trip up the Basin to Worland saw the Chiefs handle the Class 3-A Cody Broncs 71-65 to finish out Friday’s action.
Saturday, they beat Greybull 58-41 and Class 3-A Worland 72-49 on the Warriors’ home court.
Wyoming Indian enters conference play this weekend with a pair of games on the road at Kemmerer and Big Piney.
WYOMING INDIAN 5 16 13 17 – 51
LOVELL 18 22 16 17 – 73
Wyoming Indian – Damon Willow 2 0-0 4, Jordan Black 1 2-2 4, Julius Robinson 1 (2) 0-0 8, Heeyei’Niitou Monroe Black 2 (1) 5-5 12, Adriano Black 2 0-0 4, Mathew Austin 1 (1) 0-0 5, Mitchell C’Hair 2 (1) 1-2 8, Ladanian Brown (1) 0-2 3, Dana Lock (1) 0-0 3. Totals 11 (7) 8-11 51
Lovell – Matthew Newman 3 2-4 8, Owen Edwards 5 0-2 10, Owen Walker 8 (1) 3-4 22, Kaeson Anderson 3 (4) 0-1 18, Sam Mayes 1 (1) 3-3 8, Hill 2-2, Jauqin Scheeler 1 0-0 2, Kyle Wilson 0-2 0. Totals 22 (6) 11-19 73