Lady Plainsmen Win, But Plainsmen Fall Just Short Against Evanston

The Laramie Lady Plainsmen completed a highly successful weekend with a big win, while the Plainsmen lost a tough battle Saturday against Evanston.

Laramie Lady Plainsmen

In their third straight win, the Laramie Lady Plainsmen rolled past the Evanston Lady Red Devils 44-24 Saturday at Laramie High School.

Kade Setright led three Lady Plainsmen in double figures by tying her career-high of 13 points. Savannah Cox and Eliza Dickinson added 12 points apiece.

After four early lead changes and a couple of ties, a three from Cox and a fast break lay-in from Lexi Pulley gave LHS a 12-7 lead after one quarter of action. They extended to a 22-12 advantage at half and out-scored the Red Devils 22-to-12 in the second half.

Head coach Kyle Stucky said on day three with four games in three days,

“That’s a tough task for kids to handle, but I thought our kids handled it well. I was actually surprised at the intensity and aggressiveness that we saw in our ladies today.”

Laramie (4-5) shot 43 percent from the field. They went 5-10 from beyond the arc and held a 29-22 edge on the glass.

Evanston (2-8) was led by Ali Barker with nine points. The Red Devils were held to 20 percent shooting from the field. That included a 1-17 (6%) performance from 3-point range.

The Lady Plainsmen have won four of their last five games.

Laramie Plainsmen

The Laramie Plainsmen fell short in their bid to exact a little revenge against third-ranked Evanston, as they lost 52-49.

It was a tight game throughout. Neither team led by more than four points. The game featured 21 lead changes and seven ties.

A strong third quarter by the Red Devils put them in front 39-35 going into the final period of play. Big 3-pointers by Jake Aadland, Andy Pearson and Nate Hill kept LHS in the game. Evanston held a 48-47 with about a minute left, when the Plainsmen had the ball, but a key turnover cost Laramie a shot to take the lead.

Evanston was able to hit four free throws, while the Plainsmen couldn’t get some shots to go, and the Red Devils held on for the three-point win.

LHS head coach Chuck Kern said,

“I think our guys were just tired on day three, and that’s the way some of those things went. You’ve got to play the game all the way through, and always assume you can make a play. You’ve got to be an opportunist, and Evanston did seize some of those opportunities down the stretch.”

Laramie (5-3) was led by Aadland with 20 points. Tristan Eickbush added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Both teams shot 42 percent from the field. There was a one rebound difference, 24-23, in favor of LHS. Evanston got to the free throw line 11 more times.

The Red Devils had four guys in double figures led by Alek Johnson and Chase Cook with 15 points apiece.

In the end, the 2015 McDonald’s Classic was a success for Laramie. The Lady Plainsmen went 3-1 on the weekend, while the Plainsmen were 2-1.

Laramie will conclude non-conference play Friday night and midday Saturday by hosting Rock Springs and Green River.