Against Lingle, we had a plan and came out really firing on all cylinders and not turning over the ball as much as we have. The boys played really hard.”

Coach Craig Leithead

Up Next

The Cyclones host Big Horn on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

ENCAMPMENT – The Southeast High School Cyclones basketball team regained its momentum with a 43-39 cliffhanger victory against Encampment on the road on February 1.

On Thursday, Southeast came up short against the Lingle-Fort Laramie (LFL) Doggers in an exciting, down-to-the-wire rivalry game. The Cyclones controlled the scoreboard through a good portion of the first half. LFL ultimately pulled ahead in third quarter to post the win, 65-53.

The Cyclones are currently the No. 3 seed in the 1A Southeast Conference with a 10-7 overall record.

“It is a long bus ride to Encampment and that is always a challenge,” coach Craig Leithead said. “We figured out a way to win and came together in a game with a little bit of a different style of basketball. We did a nice job getting the ball around and rebounding. Against Lingle, we had a plan and came out really firing on all cylinders and not turning over the ball as much as we have. The boys played really hard.”

GoCo rivalry game

The Cyclones hit the court fast and furious in the first quarter, opening with a 13-4 run. Senior Ayden Desmond commenced regulation with a close-range shot. Junior Beaux Shimic drained a deep 3-pointer and fellow junior T.J. Moats scored from the inside.

A six-point run by senior Kannon Tippetts widened the Cyclones’ lead, 13-4.

LFL responded with a 10-1 run to tie the game, 14-14, as the first quarter ended.

A back-and-forth battle for the lead ensued. Desmond tied the game at 16 with a jumper. A four-point run, including buckets by Desmond and senior Ayden Shimic, returned the advantage to the Cyclones, 20-19.

LFL pulled up by a possession before Moats went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line and the game deadlocked at 22.

LFL regained the lead, 28-24. Moats netted a pair of free throws and junior Liam Haas scored from inside the perimeter to tie the game, 28-28, with less than a minute remaining.

The Doggers answered back with three points to secure the lead, 31-28, at halftime.

Close-range shots by Beaux Shimic and Tippetts at the beginning of the third quarter kept Southeast within one point of overtaking LFL.

The Doggers widened their lead with a seven-point run. Beaux Shimic hit a three-and-one, whittling LFL lead back to two possessions, 40-36.

Moats converted an and-1, placing the Cyclones within one possession of overtaking LFL, 42-39.

LFL topped Southeast in scoring, 15-10, in the fourth quarter. Desmond collected eight points for the Cyclones in the final eight minutes of regulation while Tippetts scored from inside.

Four Cyclones tallied double digit scoring against LFL, led by Desmond with 16 points. Moats netted 12 points, Beaux Shimic 11 and Tippetts 10. Ayden Shimic and Haas each scored two.

Desmond posted a double-double against Southeast with 12 rebounds.

Tippetts shared the ball for four assists while Ayden Shimic picked up three rebounds. Moats rounded out the stat sheet with four blocks.

Encampment

Southeast led by two possessions, 14-10, at the end of the first quarter against Encampment. Both teams tallied nine points in a physical second quarter and the Cyclones remained ahead, 23-19, at halftime.

Southeast clinched its win in the third quarter, topping Encampment in scoring, 11-9, to lead by six going into the fourth quarter, 34-28.

Encampment outscored Southeast in the fourth quarter, 11-9, but its effort to overtake Southeast came up short.

Desmond went double-double for a second time, netting 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Moats tallied double-digit scoring with 10 points while also pulling down eight rebounds.

Tippetts contributed seven points, Beaux Shimic six and Ayden Shimic two.

Ayden Shimic delivered two assists and snatched three steals while Moats reached up for five blocks.