Gillette Rolls Past Laramie Twice
It was a rough Saturday in Gillette for both Laramie High School basketball teams, who were blown out by the Camels in a 4A East Conference doubleheader.
The fourth-ranked Laramie Lady Plainsmen lost to No. 1 Gillette, 71-48. The Laramie Plainsmen fell to the No. 4 Camels, 103-74.
Laramie Lady Plainsmen
Gillette took advantage of 27 Laramie turnovers and shot 46 percent in the 23-point victory.
Lady Plainsmen head coach Laura Pollard admitted it wasn’t their day and not a pretty game.
“Not in the first half, it really wasn’t. Nothing you can do; just glad it was this game.”
The Camels jumped to a 20-10 lead in the opening quarter and never trailed. The lead grew to 21 in the second before Gillette held a 43-25 edge at halftime. The Lady Plainsmen were never able to mount a serious challenge in the second half. Eighteen of the turnovers came in the first half.
Pollard added, “It’s gotta be mental, because we’ve worked too hard last week on breaking the press.”
Laramie (14-5, 5-3) shot just 28 percent in the game. Olivia Dorrell led LHS with 11 points.
One scare for the Lady Plainsmen was junior guard Lexi Pulley left the game late in the first half with an injury. The extent of which was unknown.
Gillette (19-2, 9-0) was led by Rylee Hladky with a game-high 20 points. The Camels did have 22 turnovers in the win.
Laramie returns to the court Thursday for their home finale against the Central Indians. Six seniors will be honored prior to the game. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Laramie Plainsmen
Gillette shot lights out in the first half and scored a single-game high for team points in a Wyoming High School basketball game this season in the 29-point victory.
Laramie head coach Travis Brown saw positives despite the loss.
“We could’ve quit playing. We played to the end of the game. We put up 74, too, which was the most we’ve put up this season. Unfortunately, I told them we didn’t want to get into a run and gun game with these guys. It’s what they do for a living.”
The Camels went 12-of-17 from 3-point range and knocked down 17 in the game.
After the Plainsmen scored the opening basket on a post move from Frank Crum, Gillette’s Trey Hladky scored the next eight points. The Camels sprinted to a 28-14 lead after the first quarter. They never scored less than 24 points in any single quarter.
Trailing 55-29, Laramie did out-score Gillette in the third quarter, 27-24. That came after the Camels got to a 31-point margin on a couple of occasions in the period.
Laramie (4-15, 1-7) shot 44 percent from the field. Nate Burman led the way with 22 points. Crum had 17 points, and Asa Williams added 14.
Gillette (13-8, 7-2) was led by Hladky with 25 points. He was one of four Camels in double figures. They shot 55 percent from the field and 53 percent from beyond the arc.
The Plainsmen will be back in action Thursday versus Cheyenne Central. Their two seniors will be recognized before the game, which starts at 5:30 p.m.