Wyoming High School Boys Basketball Rankings: January 25, 2017

The halfway point of the season is a time for teams to figure out where they stand in the quest to win a state championship, and the latest coaches/media rankings can give them some idea.

Could it be #1 Kelly Walsh and #2 Gillette for the 4A title? It was 2 years ago, and the 2 teams have held their current rankings for sometime. Sheridan showed they are the most improved team so far this season. Last week's big road wins catapulted the Broncs up to #3. Rock Springs is up one spot to #4, while defending champ Cheyenne Central is back in the rankings at #5. The Indians as well as unranked Cheyenne East visit the Broncs and Camels this weekend.

It may be a bit early to start hoping for a Riverton-Douglas rematch for the 3A title, because there's still a lot of basketball yet to be played. The top 2 teams have a lot of business to deal with on their side of the state. The unanimous #2 Bearcats have a tough challenge Friday at #3 Torrington, while the unanimous #1 Wolverines host a Lyman team that missed out of the top 5, by 1 vote. Meanwhile, Buffalo is in at #4, and they know playing against Worland is never easy for them. Cody carries the #5 ranking to their game vs. rival Powell.

Pine Bluffs and Wind River could be on another 2A championship collision course...but as mentioned earlier, there's still more than one month to go. The unanimous #1 and defending champ Hornets probably won't get challenged until the regional tournaments, provided they keep doing what they've been doing. The Cougars and #4 Wyoming Indian host southwest rivals Big Piney and Kemmerer this weekend, while #3 Big Horn will continue conference play in the northeast. Lovell is now ranked #5, by 1 vote ahead of Rocky Mountain. The 2 rivals will take care of that issue this weekend.

For the 1A teams, #1 and 3-time defending state champ Burlington needs to keep on eye on their northwest conference opponents this weekend. Unranked Dubois and unranked St. Stephens would love to make a statement and improve their season with an upset win over the Huskies. Kaycee holds at #2 and seems to have recovered and resume course after falling to Burlington 2 weeks ago. Little Snake River may have a losing record, but it's their recent performance that has caught the eye of the voters. Big road wins at former #3 and now #5 Cokeville, as well as Farson-Eden did not go unnoticed. #4 Lingle-Ft. Laramie is going to have their hands full on Saturday, visiting 2A #1 Pine Bluffs.

Disclaimer: The rankings have no official say on post-season positioning, and are only to be used as a measuring stick on the regular season. Please don't read too much into the rankings.