The Cokeville Lady Panthers headed to the 1A West Regional Basketball Tournament in Lander Thursday, Feb. 22. They went in as the No. 1 seed from the Southwest.
Their first matchup was against the Lady Longhorns of Meeteetse. The Lady Panthers took control early and advanced to the semifinal game with a 68-16 victory over the Lady Longhorns.
Addison Barnes had 20 points and 7 steals to lead the Lady Panthers. Mia Dayton had 11 points and 4 steals. Bryli Groll put in 10 points with 9 assists. TyLeigh Dayton added 10 more points with 4 rebounds. Rachel Thomas had 8 points and Bailey Bird had 7. Madi Dayton had 5 steals and 4 assists.
The semis matched the Lady Panthers with the Lady Rebels of Riverside. The Lady Rebels were able to hang with the Lady Panthers in the first half, but the second half went to the Lady Panthers, who took the win and a trip to the finals with a 52-37 win over the Lady Rebels.
Groll led the way with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Mia Dayton had 13 points, 8 steals and 6 assists. Barnes put up 12 points and pulled down 4 rebounds.
The championship game featured the orange and black Lady Panthers against the orange and black Lady Huskies of Burlington. The Lady Huskies were no match for the Lady Panthers, who were determined to bring home the title, taking the huge win 69-46.
Barnes was on fire, scoring 36 points and adding 3 steals and 3 assists. Thomas had 13 points, followed by Groll with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. TyLeigh Dayton had 8 rebounds. Mia Dayton had 7 assists and 3 steals.
The girls will head into the state tournament in Casper on Thursday, taking on the Hulett Lady Red Devils at 6 p.m.
The Panthers boys’ basketball team traveled to Lander for the 1A West Regional Basketball Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 22. As the No. 1 seed from the Southwest, the Panthers were set to make history following two decades of drought as region champions.
They faced Ten Sleep for their first game. The Panthers came out nailing three pointers and never looked back, getting the win 66-41.
Justin Moyes had 17 points to lead the Panther scoring, followed by Kalob Haderlie with 11. Jack Dayton had 9 points, 6 assists and 4 steals.
This win advanced the Panthers to the semifinal game against Saratoga. These two teams met twice during the regular season, with the Cokeville Panthers getting the win both times. The Panthers had their sights set on that championship game and took the win 62-35.
Moyes had a huge 25 points and 4 rebounds. Haderlie had 9 points and 7 rebounds. Jack Dayton put up 8 points along with 4 assists and 5 rebounds. Kayson Walker had 5 rebounds.
This win advanced the Panthers to the championship game against the Farson Pronghorns. It was a battle and, with the Panthers finding themselves down early, they had to claw their way back. It was a close game throughout, but it was the Panthers who took the huge win and the championship trophy home with a 43-33 victory over the Pronghorns.
Moyes had 15 points and 5 rebounds. Jack Dayton had 11 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
The Panthers will go into the state tournament in Casper on Thursday as the No. 1 seed from the West. They will take on the Kaycee Buckaroos at 1:30 that afternoon.
