4A Girls State Basketball Day 1 Recaps

The first day of the Class 4A girls basketball state championship tournament is going on in Casper at two venues.

Games are being played at the Ford Wyoming Center and Casper College with the first round and semifinal action.

WyoPreps is giving fans some insight into how the games are going with a brief recap of all six games on day one.

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Game 5: Cheyenne East 62 Green River 50 (semifinal #1)

Cheyenne East scored 25 points off 17 Green River turnovers and beat the Wolves 62-50 in the first 4A girls' semifinal on Friday night at the Ford Wyoming Center.

The Thunderbirds never trailed in the game. East jumped out to a 14-5 lead in the first quarter. Green River's Megan Counts did her best to keep the Wolves in the game. She scored 11 points in the first period, as Green River cut it to 17-14 by the end of the frame.

The teams traded 3-pointers to open the second quarter. With a four-point lead, at 24-20, East closed the half on a 7-2 surge. That made it 31-22 T-birds at halftime.

In the second half, every time Green River cut the lead down, Cheyenne East would push it back out. The Wolves cut it to two points, at 38-36, late in the third quarter. The Thunderbirds went on a 10-0 run and led 48-36 with 7:12 remaining in the game. Green River pulled within four, at 49-45, with just over four minutes left. That's as close as they would get. East holds on for the victory.

The Thunderbirds shot 49 percent for the game. Boden Liljedahl scored 18 points and Cheyenna Alvarado added 11.

Green River's Megan Counts led all scorers with a game-high 22 points.  The Wolves shot 42 percent in the contest. Green River's leading scorer, Kayde Strauss left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury. She tried to play in the second half but came off the floor and never returned. It was a tough loss for the Wolves.

Cheyenne East is in the 4A girls championship game for the fourth straight time and seventh in the last eight state tournaments played. They last won the title in 2017. The Thunderbirds will face Cody in the championship at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday from the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.

Green River will play for third place against Sheridan at noon on Saturday in Casper.

Game 6: Cody 54 Sheridan 33 (semifinal #2)

The Cody Fillies advanced to their first girls' basketball state championship game in school history with a convincing 54-33 victory over Sheridan in the 4A semifinals on Friday night in Casper.

Cody led from start-to-finish. The Fillies held a slim 7-6 lead midway through the first but started to pull away after that. It was 15-9 at the end of the first. By the mid-point of the second, it was 22-11, Cody. They led 27-13 by halftime.

The Fillies continued to pull away in the third as the lead reached 28 points. Sheridan finally scored in double digits in the fourth with 15 points that reduced the final margin.

Cody's Kennedi Niemann led all scorers with 19 points. They shot almost 48 percent as a team. The Fillies also enjoyed a 35-23 rebounding advantage. They scored 12 second-chance points off 12 offensive rebounds.

Sheridan was paced by Gillian Mitzel with nine points. The Broncs struggled from the field, as they shot 33 percent, which included 3-15 from deep.

Cody will face Cheyenne East in the 4A girls' title game at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.

The Broncs will play Green River for third place at noon on Saturday.

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Game 1: Green River 59 Cheyenne Central 37

For the first time in 23 years, the Green River girls are in the semifinals. The Wolves steadily pulled away from Cheyenne Central, 59-37, in a first-round game at Casper College on Friday.

Green River had three players score in double figures. Megan Counts led the way with 16 points. Kayde Strauss scored 12, and Tayana Crowder added 10 points.

The Wolves led from start to finish. They were ahead 11-5 after the first quarter. Cheyenne Central had more turnovers, six, than points, five. The Indians got their offense on track in the second with 13 points, but they couldn't slow down Green River with 16. It was 27-18 Wolves at the half. Green River had their biggest scoring output in the third with 17 points. Their lead reached 26 points in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves shot 46.5 percent for the game. They were nearly 56 percent in the second half. Green River had a 34-28 edge on the glass. They scored 14 second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds. The Wolves also had 17 points off 17 Central turnovers. Green River finished 16-27 at the foul line.

The Indians were paced by Baylee Delbridge with 16 points. She was hampered by foul trouble. They shot only 29 percent from the floor.

Green River will face Cheyenne East in a 4A semifinal at 4:30 p.m. from the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.

Cheyenne Central falls into consolation play on Saturday against Star Valley at 9 a.m. That game will also be at the Ford Wyoming Center.

Game 2: Cheyenne East 42 Star Valley 30

The Cheyenne East Thunderbirds used a big third quarter to take control and defeat the Star Valley Braves, 42-30, in first round 4A girls action from Casper on Friday.

The Thunderbirds scored 19 points in that period and used a 10-2 run to surge in front.

It was 9-9 after the first quarter, and then 13-13 at halftime. Both teams struggled shooting in the first half. Star Valley shot 32 percent, while East shot just 20 percent.

Down 18-17, Boden Liljedahl hit a 3-pointer that started the run, as the Thunderbirds extended to a 27-20 lead. The Braves rallied within 32-26 but scored only four points in the final frame.

Cheyenne East shot 52 percent in the second half. They finished at 39 percent for the game. Liljedahl scored a game-high 19 points. The T-birds scored 16 points off 19 Star Valley turnovers.

The Braves were led by Whitnee Hale with 13 points, while Addie Butler added 11 points. Star Valley shot just 30 percent from the field.

East advances to the semifinals on Friday versus Green River at 4:30 p.m.

Star Valley falls into the consolation side of the bracket. They will take on Cheyenne Central on Saturday at 9 a.m. in Casper.

Game 3: Cody 59 Thunder Basin 56

For the first time since 1996, the Cody Fillies are in the semifinals at state basketball. Cody sprung the upset on top-ranked Thunder Basin, 59-56, in the first round at Casper College on Friday.

Cody used a big first quarter and held off all the Thunder Basin challenges. They led 16-8 at the end of the first. The Fillies enjoyed their biggest lead of 18-8 early in the second. The Bolts trimmed it to 23-22 by halftime, but they were 0-7 from deep in the first half.

It remained a tight game in the third, but Cody held the lead throughout and had a 39-32 lead entering the fourth. Thunder Basin rallied within 41-40 less than two minutes into the final period. The Fillies responded with a 3-pointer and a layup that increased their margin to 49-44 with 4:13 left.

Back came the Bolts. They tied it at 54-54 with just under two minutes remaining. Cody made free throws, but Thunder Basin tied it at 56-56 with 35 seconds left. Three free throws in the last 20 seconds helped the Fillies hold off the Bolts.

Torrie Schutzmann scored 17 points, while Molly Hays had 14, and Kennedi Niemann added 12 for Cody. The Fillies shot 39.5 percent in the game and that included 50 percent in the second half. They went 27-39 at the charity stripe.

Thunder Basin got 23 points from Sydney Solem. They were just 33 percent for the game and went 2-16, 12.5 percent, from beyond the arc.

Both teams had 19 turnovers.

Cody reaches the semifinals and will play Sheridan at 6 p.m. from the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper on Friday.

Thunder Basin takes on Natrona County in a consolation game at 9 a.m. on Saturday in Casper at Kelly Walsh High School.

Game 4: Sheridan 53 Natrona County 51

Brook Larson hit two free throws with 18.8 seconds left, and Sheridan surprised third-ranked Natrona 53-51 in the first round of the 4A girls state basketball tournament in Casper.

Samantha Spielman gave Sheridan the lead with a left-handed shot on the right baseline with 22 seconds left. The Fillies came right back with a Megan Hagar layup with 18.8.

Larson was fouled just past midcourt on an inbound pass trying to break full-court pressure.

NC missed a three with 10 seconds left. Sheridan had the rebound but stepped out of bounds with 8.1 seconds left. The Fillies missed a jump shot but a jump ball on the rebound gave the possession back to NC with 1.5 remaining. Emma Patik's open three from the left corner was no good, and the Broncs move onto the semis.

Neither team led by more than six points in the game. There were 10 lead changes and the game was tied seven times. It was 11-7 Sheridan after the first quarter. The Fillies came back for a 25-20 halftime lead. NC was still in front, 38-34, at the end of the third. The Broncs rallied with 19 points in the final period.

Larson and Spielman led Sheridan with 15 points apiece. Annie Mitzel added 13 points. The Broncs shot 49 percent from the field. They overcame 26 turnovers in the game.

Natrona County was led by Alesha Lane's 15 points and 16 rebounds. The Fillies hurt themselves at the foul line, where they went 5-17, 29 percent, for the game. They did have 30 points off Sheridan turnovers and 15 second-chance points in the game.

Sheridan advances to the semifinals for the first time since 2016. They will play at 6 p.m. against Cody at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.

Natrona County falls to the consolation side of the bracket. They will play Thunder Basin at 9 a.m. on Saturday in Casper. That game is at Kelly Walsh High School.