TORRINGTON – With the turn of the calendar into 2018, the high school basketball season is heating up, with conference games just around the corner.

Torrington

Current record: 4-4

The Blazers have the second-best record in their quadrant, sitting at 4-4. They have had a tough opening road to start the season, with four of their five Wyoming opponents ranked in the WyoPreps coaches and media poll. In the most recent rankings, Cody, Riverton and Buffalo all sit ahead of Torrington (No. 5), and those three teams bested the Blazers so far this year. Torrington beat Lovell, the fifth-ranked team in 2A, earlier this season.

Looking at Torrington’s quadrant, Newcastle currently sits atop the standings with a 4-0 record, while Wheatland is 3-5 and Douglas is 1-7. Among other teams in the 3A East conference, Rawlins (No. 2) and Buffalo (No. 4) are both 4-3, with Worland, at 0-2, and Thermopolis, at 0-3, sitting winless on the young season.

On the western half of the state, top-ranked Cody leads the way with a 6-2 record, followed by Riverton (No. 3), who sits at 5-2. Behind the Broncs and Wolverines, no team in the west has a winning record.

Southeast

Current record: 1-5

The Cyclones are currently sitting at the bottom of the standings in the 2A Southeast, looking up at four other teams with a lot of basketball to play before the postseason.

Four of Southeast’s five losses this year have come against ranked teams, falling to 2A’s Rocky Mountain (No. 3) and Wyoming Indian (No. 4), along with Little Snake River (No. 1) and Farson-Eden (No. 3) who both hail from the 1A rankings. A tough opening to the season may lighten up when the Cyclones get to their conference schedule

Pine Bluffs, who is second-ranked in 2A, is atop the conference standings with a 5-0 record. Glenrock (4-4) and Lusk (3-3) are both sitting at .500, followed by Burns posting a 3-4 record.

In the 2A Northeast, Upton is the only team with a winning record, sitting at 5-1. Wright, Sundance, Big Horn, Tongue River and Moorcroft all come in under the .500 mark.

The southwest conference proves to be tough again this year, with Wyoming Indian holding a 9-1 record. Big Piney and 2A’s top-ranked team, Wind River, are both sitting at 6-2. Rocky Mountain in the northwest is undefeated at 6-0, with Greybull coming in at 5-3 and Lovell taking up the fifth spot in the WyoPreps ranking with a 3-2 record.

Lingle-Fort Laramie

Current record: 1-5

The Doggers started off the season with a win over Shoshoni, 44-35, but have been unable to return to the winning column since, losing five-straight. Two of their losses came to ranked teams in Little Snake River and fifth-ranked Encampment.

Among 1A Southeast teams, the Doggers sit second behind Hanna-Elk Mountain, 3-1. Rock River sits at 1-6 and Glendo and Guernsey-Sunrise are winless.

In the northeast conference, Kaycee sits atop the standings with a 5-1 record, followed closely by Midwest, at 4-2. Hulett sits at 3-3, while Arvada-Clearmont comes in at 0-6.

Like 2A, the 1A Southwest conference is stout, with Encampment sitting at 6-0 and both Cokeville and Saratoga holding a 5-2 record. Farson-Eden is 5-4 and Little Snake River is at .500 with a 3-3 record. The northwest offers the top-ranked team in Burlington, at 4-1. St. Stephens, which is also ranked, is 4-0, while Ten Sleep, Dubois and Meeteetse are a combined 2-12. All five of the ranked teams in 1A come from the western part of the state.