Lander Boys Basketball Wrap [VIDEO]

The Lander boys basketball team had all the right pieces in place to be very competitive in 2018-19. As it turns out, those pieces produced a 3A state championship with a 24-4 record. The Tigers had an all-state player in Antonio Coando who averaged 13 points a game and another all-state selection in Niieihii Black who threw in 10 a game, Tray Spoonhunter was a double-digit scorer with 10 a game as well. Lander's state tournament run started with a 62-46 win over Newcastle as Spoonhunter threw in 21 and Coando chipped in 18. The Tigers were also 16-20 from the free-throw line. In the 3A semi-finals, Lander held off a pesky Wheatland team 48-42 with Coando leading the way with 13 and Max Mazurie adding 11. The state championship game saw Lander throttle Powell 58-40. Black was the Tiger's leading scorer with 13, Bryan St. Clair had 11 with Coando netting 10. It was Lander's first state title since 2008 but will lose Coando and Mazurie to graduation. Black, Spoonhunter, and St.Clair return, so the cupboard won't be bare by any stretch.