Boys basketball wins 2 more

There was a whole lot of basketball going on in Cheyenne with the annual Taco John’s Invite last weekend, with the Wolves earning two wins.

The Wolves defeated Cheyenne Central 51-49 in a game ending in overtime. The Wolves followed that win up with a second against Wheatland 60-56. Their third game of the series against Cheyenne East was a different story however, with the Wolves falling 76-54. The Wolves ended the weekend with a 5-4 record.

“We had tough competition at the Taco Johns Invitational,” head coach Laurie Ivie said. “We have really placed a focus on limiting turnovers, preventing blow-bys and straight line drives to the basket, and rebounding in practice over the break. That transferred over to our first two games.”

With East, Ivie said the boys came out flat and had a very slow start, giving East an opportunity to build a large lead. The Wolves fought to close the gap throughout the rest of the game, clawing their way to a seven-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, but Ivie said the boys ran out of gas before they could completely close the gap.

Through the first three invites the Wolves have taken part in, Ivie said the biggest lessons she and her coaching staff have learned is if the Wolves focus on defense and rebounding, while moving the ball on offense, they can compete with anyone in the state.

“We have a gritty group of boys with great chemistry,” she said.

The Wolves will travel to Gillette to take on Thunder Basin in a non-conference game. Ivie said the Wolves will face an extremely talented and well coached team that has been ranked No. 1 for the season.

“They can all get to the rack and shoot the 3 ball. Defensively, they press, trap, switch, and are extremely physical and strong,” Ivie said.

Following the game in Gillette, the Wolves will start conference play Jan. 20 at home against the Evanston Red Devils.