LINGLE – A successful winter basketball season for Lingle-Fort Laramie (LFL) High School culminated with Lady Doggers head coach Susan Bartel and Doggers head coach Chris Cook receiving the Southeast Wyoming Athletic Conference (SEWAC) Coach of the Year awards.
Coach Bartel
The Lady Doggers concluded the 2023-2024 winter season ranked No. 1 in the 2A Southeast Quadrant, netting an impressive 22-6 overall record an undefeated conference record of 6-0.
Bartel credited the exceptional team chemistry between players and coaches for LFL’s accomplishments.
“I am grateful to be honored as Coach of the Year for SEWAC,” Bartel said. “It is a testament to how well our team and coaches worked together for a successful season. The team had an amazing 14-game winning streak during the (regular) season that propelled us into regionals and state.”
LFL captured the No. 2 state berth as the runner-up at the 2A Regional Tournament in Burns following victories against Wright in the quarterfinals and Pine Bluffs in the semifinals.
The Lady Doggers left it all on the court at the state tournament, opening the action with a 48-32 victory against Wind River.
Advancing to the semifinals, LFL defeated Wyoming Indian High School 68-51.
The championship game between LFL and Tongue River turned into an epic battle between two talented teams.
Bartel thanked Lady Doggers assistant coach Kim Cooper for helping Bartel develop strong team bonds throughout the season.
“Coach Cooper – Coops – and I have worked to make our season about continuing to develop our team’s family atmosphere with each player, coach or manager supporting each other,” Bartel said. “We have a great group of girls and hope to continue our success as we move to 1A next year.”
Coach Cook
The Doggers finished the season as the No. 1 team in the 2A Southeast Quadrant, posting an 18-6 overall record and a 4-2 conference record. An undefeated 13-0 record at home highlighted the season for the Doggers.
Cook attributed LFL’s outstanding regular season run to the efforts of his assistant coaches, Brice Hill and Jeshua Arnusch.
“The Coach of the Year is a nice award, but it is really a reward for our staff for a successful overall year,” Cook said. “I have two great assistants in Brice Hill and Jeshua Arnusch. They helped tremendously throughout the season and deserve a ton of credit. They both bring different perspectives to the game that I really appreciate.”
The athletes on the team set the bar high for the Doggers’ program during the 2023-2024 season.
Cook outlined several of the Dogger’s notable achievements:
“We were able to accomplish some things this year that had not been done in many years at LFL, or in some cases, at all. We were the best defensive team in 2A, allowing 46.2 points per game. We were the best shooting team in 2A as well, at 49.02 percent. We were able to complete the best school record at home at 13-0. We finished third in the state in scoring at 63.5 points per game.”
Ultimately, the coach of the year award reflected a “nice regular season” for the Doggers, Cook said.
“I have a great support staff of coaches and parents willing to put in extra effort to help me and our team,” Cook added. “We look to build on this next fall.
“Go Doggers!”
