Losses to Buffalo, Lyman end Kemmerer’s season
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The Kemmerer High School boys’ basketball season ended in Casper over the weekend, with an 0-2 record at the 3A State Basketball Tournament.
The Rangers opened the tournament Thursday as the No. 2 seed out of the 3A West, taking on Buffalo, the No. 3 seed from the East. The Bison held off a late Kemmerer rally to win 62-44.
In Friday’s consolation semifinals, the Rangers squared off against a familiar opponent in 3A Southwest Quadrant rival Lyman, falling 49-45.
The Rangers finished with a 13-13 record (3-3 in 3A West play), second in the 3A Southwest Quadrant. With a few seniors set to graduate in May, Grossulack will have some big shoes to fill.
Buffalo 62, Rangers 44
After a memorable run through the 3A West Regional Tournament a week earlier — culminating in a 50-42 loss to Powell in the title game — the Rangers appeared poised to turn some heads at last weekend’s 3A State Tourney in Casper, going in as the No. 2 seed out of the West.
The Buffalo Bison had other plans. Taking advantage of Kemmerer’s slow start, the Bison built a 31-14 halftime lead, en route to a 62-44 win in Thursday’s opening round at the Ford Wyoming Center.
The Rangers played better in the second half — outscoring Buffalo 16-15 in the fourth quarter — but were unable to make a dent in what proved to be an insurmountable first-half lead. The loss dropped Kemmerer into the consolation bracket.
The Rangers’ one-two punch of Jake Kampman and Thompson Skidmore accounted for the majority of Kemmerer’s scoring, with 17 points and 14 points, respectively. Wyatt Peternal added seven points, Chase Bowen chipped in five points and Colby Bowen rounded out the scoring with a point.
Skidmore led the team in rebounds with eight, to go along with two assists. Colby Bowen grabbed seven boards and led the team in blocked shots, with two; Colby Bowen finished with six rebounds.
Buffalo won the battle of the boards 33-28, and turned the ball over just 10 times, compared to 19 for the Rangers.
Lyman 49, Rangers 45
Friday’s consolation semifinals at Casper College featured the fourth meeting of the season between the Rangers and Lyman; the Eagles swept Kemmerer in the regular season, though the Rangers earned a little payback in the 3A West Regionals, beating Lyman 52-44.
The fourth meeting of the two teams would belong to Lyman, though not without a fight; in a game that featured nine lead changes, the Eagles outlasted their rivals 49-45, ending Kemmerer’s season.
A pair of Rangers finished the game in double figures, led once again by Jake Kampman with 19 points, to go along with seven rebounds. Wyatt Peternal finished with 11 points, while Thompson Skidmore added five points, to go along with six rebounds. Colby Bowen and Chase Bowen chipped in four points apiece, with Colby Bowen pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds and dishing off two assists; Mason Riding rounded out the scoring with two points.
Turnovers were once again an issue for the Rangers, with 18 to just seven for Lyman. The Eagles’ Braydon Bradshaw led all scorers with a double-double, netting 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
