Wolves season ends against Evanston

While Green River High School's boys basketball team made it to the state tournament for the first time since 2009, the Wolves were knocked out of the competition following losses to Campbell County and Evanston.

The No. 2 seeded Wolves had their first game against the No. 3 seeded Camels. Head coach Laurie Ivie said the Wolves played tentatively during the first half, ending it with a 12-point deficit. The Wolves bounced back during the third quarter, closing the gap and taking the lead, but couldn't hold it during the final quarter. The game ended with a 63-54 loss for Green River.

The Wolves took on a familiar team in the Evanston Red Devils in the consolation semifinals. Prior to this final meeting, the Red Devils were victorious in two regular season games, with the Wolves' winning their most recent meeting in the semifinals at Regionals 60-51. Ivie said the Wolves struggled in this game as well, hitting the court with a slow start and struggling to find the bottom of the net. She said the Red Devils shot the ball well, ending Green River's season with a 58-44 loss.

The team has three All-Conference selections and one All-State nomination. Braxton Yeager, Matt Seymour and Chase Stoeger were named All Conference, while Stoeger was named All State.

"Chase was our leader," Ivie said. "We could consistently count on him to score, distribute, rebound and defend. He is a great teammate and team player, and led our team in the right way through his actions and words."

She said Stoeger's contributions to the program during the last four years played a significant part in the basketball program's turnaround.

"Braxton was a force for us in the post, both in scoring and rebounding," Ivie said. "His tremendous work ethic, dedication to his team, and love for the game allowed him to battle back from a serious injury and finish the season the same way he started -- strong."

She said Yeager's presence on the court drew a lot of attention and opened up opportunities for the shooters. She also said his footwork in and around the basket allowed him to score on anyone.

"Matthew played a huge role on our basketball team," Ivie said of Seymour. "He shared the role of running the point, and played a big part for us with what we did defensively."

She said Seymour's biggest asset to the team was shooting the ball and scoring, averaging double-digit scoring for the Wolves.

The team will graduate seven players this May, as well as the two team managers.

"It is extremely difficult to let this group go," she said. "They did things the right way and worked hard with each other and for each other."

Graduating seniors

Matthew Seymour

Grant Cobb

Chase Stoeger

Haden Counts

Kyle Ivie

Lane Hutchison

Braxton Yeager