Cyclones fall to Doggers

Robert Galbreath
Posted 1/21/25

The Southeast Cyclones came up short in a point-for-point battle in the cross-county rivalry game against LFL.

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Cyclones fall to Doggers

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YODER – The Southeast High School Cyclones hosted the first county-rivalry game of the 2024-2025 season against the Lingle-Fort Laramie (LFL) Doggers on Thursday, January 16. 

The Cyclones threw strong defensive punches in the second half against LFL, but ultimately came up short on the scoreboard, 47-27.

On Friday, Southeast squared off against the Pine Bluffs Hornets in a physical, neck-and-neck game. The Cyclones came within one point of overtaking the Hornets in the third quarter before coming up short, 48-38, at the final buzzer.

“I thought we played pretty decent defense but struggled a bit offensively getting ball to fall in the hole,” coach Craig Leithead said. “The team showed grit and determination again. There are things we need to work on this week and we look forward to playing Mitchell and Lusk.”

The home game against Shoshoni scheduled for Saturday was postponed due to weather.

Cross-county rivalry

The Doggers opened the game on Thursday with a 9-3 run before junior T.J. Moats narrowed LFL’s lead to two possessions, 11-7, with a pair of close-range shots at the end of the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, senior Ayden Desmond found an opening inside the perimeter to score, making it a one-possession game with the Doggers up, 11-9.

Senior Kannon Tippetts kept the score close with a jumper before LFL pulled ahead to lead at halftime, 24-11.

The Cyclones held the Doggers to 10 points in the third quarter. Junior Beaux Shimic grabbed three steals while defensive pressure by senior Ayden Shimic resulted in a turnover.

In the fourth quarter, Southeast tallied 11 points to 13 by LFL, led by Desmond with six points.

Desmond led Southeast in scoring against LFL with 11 points. Moats tallied eight points, Tippetts six and junior Chase Sauer two.

On the boards, Desmond pulled down seven rebounds and Moats six. Beaux Shimic rounded out the stat sheet with three assists and three steals while Moats totaled three blocks.

Pine Bluffs

A point-for-point battle between Southeast and Pine Bluffs ensued in the first half.

Southeast significantly slowed Pine Bluffs’ momentum in the second quarter with the Cyclones holding the Hornets to five points to six by Southeast while Desmond, Ayden Shimic and junior Liam Haas each netted a bucket. 

Defensively, Ayden Shimic, Desmond and Beaux Shimic each snagged steals in the second quarter while Moats made a block.

The halftime score favored Pine Bluffs by a single possession, 17-14.

In the third quarter, buckets by Beaux Shimic and Tippetts brought Southeast to within one point of overtaking Pine Bluffs. 

The Hornets widened their lead with an outside shot before Beaux Shimic responded with a 3-pointer, narrowing Pine Bluffs advantage once again to a single point, 22-21.

A six-point run by the Hornets late in the third quarter placed Pine Bluffs up, 33-26, at the fourth.

The Cyclones whittled Pine Bluffs’ lead to a single possession, 33-30, at the beginning of the final quarter when Ayden Shimic tossed in a close-range shot.

Desmond set the pace for Southeast offensively against Pine Bluffs with 13 points. Moats netted eight points, Ayden Shimic six, Beaux Shimic five, Tippetts four and Haas two.

Moats and Desmond each tallied eight rebounds. Moats shared the ball for three assists and Beaux Shimic snatched four steals.