Lady Plainsmen Get a Key Road Win Ahead of Showdown With Cheyenne East

Behind a strong defensive effort, the Laramie Lady Plainsmen beat the Central Indians in Cheyenne Wednesday night, 40-30.

Fourth-ranked Laramie (12-3, 3-1) won for the seventh time in their last eight games. The Lady Plainsmen held Central to 29 percent shooting and that included 1-12 from three-point range.

Jennifer Aadland led the way with 12 points and six rebounds. Bridgette Johnson added 10 points off the bench. LHS shot 34 percent from the floor and went 9-12, 75 percent, at the foul line.

The Lady Plainsmen took the lead with an 11-2 run at the start of the second quarter. That 21-13 advantage was trimmed to 23-17 by halftime. Cheyenne Central pulled within 30-26 after three quarters and tied it at 30 early in the fourth.

Laramie ended the game with a 10-0 run. Johnson hit a key 3-pointer from the top of the key and followed with a big drive to the basket with 3:35 left. Free throws closed out the LHS victory.

Cheyenne Central (8-8, 1-3) was led by Abby Fearneyhough with seven points.

The Lady Plainsmen will conclude the first half of conference action Friday. They host No. 2 Cheyenne East at Laramie High School. Game time is at 5:30 p.m.

Laramie Plainsmen

Jessen Reckling scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Central Indians past the Laramie Plainsmen, 56-51, Wednesday night in Cheyenne.

Foul trouble plagued the Plainsmen all game long. Combined with Central’s inside presence that accounted for 38 points, Laramie wasn’t able to recover from an early deficit.

Central (6-9, 2-2) pushed to a 12 points lead in the first half. LHS trimmed it to single digits late in the second and again in the third quarter. The Indians opened up a 43-28 lead early in the fourth. The Plainsmen made one last push with a 13-4 run. With just under three minutes left, Laramie pulled within 47-41. Central got some key stops, a transition basket and hit free throws down the stretch for the win.

The Indians shot 51 percent from the field and went 17-25 at the foul line.

Laramie (4-11, 1-3) shot 33 percent, but went only 9-13 on free throws. Nate Burman led LHS with 19 points and eight rebounds. Asa Williams added 15 points. They only turned it over nine times.

The Plainsmen will look to bounce back, as they conclude the first half of conference play by hosting No. 5 Cheyenne East Friday at Laramie High School. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.