The Chiefs make their 22nd appearance in the Class 2-A State Championship game Saturday night after thrashing East 2-A Regional Champion Pine Bluffs handily in the semi-finals in the late game Friday Night at the Ford Wyoming Center.
Wyoming Indian is seeking its 14th state championship and eighth under head coach Craig Ferris.
Their opponent in the finals is a familiar one in the Thermopolis Bobcats. The Chiefs are even with the Bobcats, winning during the regular season but dropping the West Regional title by three points last weekend in Riverton.
The Hornets are a team known for their swagger but that quickly evaporated with the Chiefs taking it to them early and hard. The Chiefs played smothering defense, holding the Hornets to just one 3-point shot on 23 attempts.
Adriano Brown, Cordell Spoonhunter, and Jordan Black took the ball inside on quick drives or breaks to open the game, then Mitchell C’Hair took over.
C’Hair looks like Clark Kent with his headband and dark-framed glasses, but he plays like Superman.
C’Hair has steadily improved all season, quietly hitting double figures game after game.
The Hornets hit back-to-back post shots on each side of the basket to lift the Chiefs to their first double-digit lead, 28-17, with 2:20 remaining in the opening half.
Adding to the mix was the stellar play of Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black, who scored inside and out on quick spins inside the lane or pull-up jumpers off the wing.
The Chiefs led 30-17 at the half, then hit a higher gear in the third period.
The surge came on consecutive 3-pointers by Julius Robinson in just a 34-second span that jumped the lead from 11 to 17. Before the smoke cleared, Wyoming Indian led by 29 points, 64-35.
The Chiefs were balanced in scoring, led by Spoonhunter with 18. Monroe-Black scored 14, and C’Hair had 13.
WYOMING INDIAN 15 15 19 19 – 68
PINE BLUFFS 9 8 10 19 – 46
Wyoming Indian – Jordan Black 2 2-2 6, Julius Robinson 1 (2) 0-0 8, Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black 5 (1) 1-2 14, Adriano Borwn 1 1-24 4, Mitchell C’Hair 6 1-1 13, LaDanian Brown 1 (1) 0-0 5, Cordell Spoonhunter 9 0-0 18. Totals 24 (4) 6-9 68
Pine Bluffs – Colby Lerwick 2 0-0 4, Carsten Freeburg 7 3-6 17,Brady Freeburg 2 (1) 1-2 8, Kenny Lerwick 2 0-0 4, Ellie Currie 1 0-0 2, Gabe Federer 2 1-2 5. Totals 19 (1) 5-10 46.