2021 4A Boys Basketball Final: Thunder Basin Vs. Chey. Central

A year ago, Cheyenne Central lost just 3 games yet failed to qualify for the 2020 4A State Basketball Tournament. The state tourney was canceled anyway due to the pandemic but there was no shortage of motivation for this team. Their meeting with Thunder Basin in the championship game on Saturday was the 2nd time in as many weeks that these two teams locked horns. Central beat Thunder Basin 75-70 in the 4A East regional final but Saturday was a whole different game.

The guy who sparked Central was Nathanial Talich who was unreal in that game in Casper on Saturday. He went 6-6 from the field, hit all three of his three-pointers, he missed one free throw in 12 attempts and 7 rebounds. You don't see a stat line like that very often but Talich's effort gave teammates Brady Storebo and Lawson Lovering some room to operate. Storebo had 11 points and Lovering chipped in 9 with a dozen rebounds. It's a rarity indeed to have a 7 footer but Central had one in Lovering who is a University of Colorado signee. He demands attention and Central is a hard team to guard with all their offensive weapons.

Thunder Basin had a tough time scoring in the 2nd half as they hit just 29% of their shots. Andre Felton led the Bolts with 18 with Ethan Cox chipped in 17. But nobody else had more than 3. The Bolts wrapped up the year at 15-9 while Cheyenne Central was 21-3. It was the first state title for the Indians and the 26th overall.

We have some of the video highlights to take a look at from Saturday at the Ford Center. Enjoy!