Laramie Stays Undefeated with Overtime Win at Natrona

The Laramie High School boys basketball team is off to a perfect 4-0 start after defeating Natrona in double overtime, 67-62, on Friday night in Casper.

"They just came out and played really hard," LHS head coach Chuck Kern told KOWB. "It really was a battle the whole way. I never felt comfortable at one point, obviously didn't feel comfortable in any of the overtimes, so I'm really proud of our kids persevering."

The Plainsmen scored 18 points in the second overtime to claim the win. They took advantage of a technical foul committed by Austin Banks with 1:30 to go which gave Laramie 4 free throws attempts. Abel Casas and Tyler Loose each made 1-of-2 to put LHS up 57-53 with possession of the basketball.

LHS had a 23-14 at halftime, but the Mustangs tied the game at 23 before 7 straight points from Loose sparked a 14-4 run for the Plainsmen. The Mustangs clawed away at the Laramie lead again in the fourth quarter though, tying the game at 43 with under 2 minutes remaining.

Then Natrona took a 45-43 lead on two free throw from Nathan Pieper with 7 seconds left. Laramie's Tyler Loose got fouled at midcourt to earn a trip to the foul line. Loose made both free throws to tie the game back up with 3.5 ticks on the clock. A desperation shot from Natrona went off the backboard as time expired.

Sam Feldman had a chance to give Laramie a lead in the first overtime when he was fouled with 3.5 seconds left, but he missed them both. The game went to the second overtime after Natrona missed a three at the buzzer.

Tyler Loose led Laramie with a career-high 24 points and 6 rebounds. He shot 50 percent (5-10) from the field, 50 percent (2-4) from beyond the arc and made 70.5 percent (12-17) of his free throws. As a team LHS shot 37 percent (17-46) from field, 46 percent (6-13) from 3, and 63 percent (27-43) from the free throw line.

Natrona was led by Connor True with 13 points. The Mustangs grabbed 47 rebounds to Laramie 35, and 16 of Natrona's boards came off the offensive glass.

LHS will head south to the Greeley Invitational. They will take on tournament host Greeley Central on Thursday, Dec. 13th at 7:30 p.m. with coverage starting at 6:45 p.m. on KOWB.