Lingle-Ft. Laramie Climbs to No. 1 in the New WyoPreps Basketball Rankings
New basketball rankings are here for the first time in three weeks. This is the fourth WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Poll. There is a new No. 1 in Class 2A boys and five new teams join the rankings on Wednesday. There was more movement in the boys’ poll compared to the girls, so a lot of the same teams are within the top five.
The Lingle-Ft. Laramie Doggers had a fantastic weekend at the 2A East Smackdown last Friday and Saturday. They went 4-0 and beat three of the top four ranked teams in the process. That led to the Doggers going from unranked to the top of the 2A boys’ poll. Lingle-Ft. Laramie received eight of the 16 first-place votes and got three more points in the voting to take the top spot away from the Wright Panthers. They fell to second but still got five first-place votes. Tongue River and Wyoming Indian also dropped one position in the new rankings. The Eagles are third, and the Chiefs are fourth. Wyoming Indian picked up the other three first-place votes. Lusk held onto the No. 5 spot.
In 3A, Pinedale joins the top five at No. 4. The Wranglers impressed enough voters at the 3A Winter Classic last weekend. Douglas holds the top spot again, despite losing three games last weekend, but each of the Bearcat’s losses came to ranked 4A opponents. Powell is still second. Douglas earned 13 first-place votes, while the Panthers garnered seven. Lovell moves up to third, and they are followed by Pinedale. Thermopolis fell to fifth.
The top four are the same in Class 4A, but there is a new No. 5. Sheridan joins the boys’ rankings for the first time this season. Cheyenne Central was an overwhelming pick for the top spot. The Indians received 17 of the 21 first-place votes. Cheyenne East, Laramie, and Natrona County kept their same positions of second, third, and fourth, respectively.
There was no change in the 1A boys’ poll. Upton received all but two first-place votes and held onto the No. 1 ranking. Saratoga and Cokeville are second and third. Farson-Eden and Southeast stayed at four and five.
Find the full voting by clicking the button below for the boys’ poll.
A couple of new teams joined the girls’ rankings, and while there was some shuffling, the top-ranked teams kept their spots.
The most change was in the 2A girls’ poll. Tongue River is still at the top. The Eagles earned 12 of the 14 first-place votes. Wyoming Indian remains second. Sundance climbed out of a tie for fourth in the previous rankings to third. That pushed Rocky Mountain down to fourth. Lingle-Ft. Laramie rejoins the poll at No. 5.
The other new team is in Class 4A. Cheyenne East kept the top spot with nine of 19 first-place votes. Cody was still second. Sheridan moved to third, and Campbell County slid to fourth. Cheyenne Central makes their debut in the poll in fifth.
The other two classifications had two teams swap spots.
In 3A, Douglas received 21 of 23 first-place votes and remained on top. The Bearcats face No. 2 Buffalo this week at home. The Bison picked up two first-place votes and held onto second. Mountain View stayed at No. 3. The difference was Pinedale moved up to fourth, which pushed Powell to fifth.
Finally, in 1A girls’, the only teams that got votes were those in the top five. Cokeville is a unanimous choice for No. 1. The Panthers earned all 12 first-place votes. Upton got all but one vote for second. Southeast and Burlington traded positions. The Cyclones are now third, and the Huskies are fourth. Little Snake River remained fifth.
Find the girls’ rankings by clicking the button below.
The WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls are chosen in voting by coaches and media around the state. Every coach and numerous media members have a chance to vote each week throughout the season.
Cheyenne East-Evanston Boys Basketball
Gallery Credit: Frank Gambino