Definition of fortitude

“Overall, it was a good weekend. It was a heartbreaking loss to Saratoga on Thursday and a gut punch, but the guys came back and showed fortitude against Kaycee and fought through a tough game. Against Meeteetse, we did what we needed to do.””

Coach Craig Leithead

CASPER – The neck-and-neck quarterfinals between the Southeast High School Cyclones and the Saratoga Panthers resulted in a 45-45 tie with 39.5 seconds remaining in regulation at the 1A State Tournament in Casper on February 29.

Southeast junior Ayden Desmond went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe, placing the Cyclones ahead, 47-45, as the clock approached the final two seconds. Saratoga took possession and sent the ball flying toward the rim, landing a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to take the win, 48-47.

Falling by a heartbreaking single point in a game that appeared clinched for Southeast was a tough pill for the Cyclones to swallow. Southeast faced a decision – throw up their hands and phone it in for the remainder of the tournament or pick themselves up and keep fighting.

Southeast chose to battle back.

The Cyclones rebounded on Friday afternoon to defeat Kaycee, 37-25, in the consolation semifinals. 

A gritty Southeast defense and a tenacious Cyclones offense combined to defeat the Meeteetse Longhorns, 46-37, on Saturday to snag the 1A state consolation trophy. During the game, Desmond reached a significant milestone in his high school basketball career, netting his 1,000th point (and counting).

Southeast’s decisive win against Meeteetse ended the Cyclones’ tournament run on a high note, a fitting conclusion to an exceptional season that saw Southeast post an undefeated, 6-0, conference record and net 14 wins overall.

“Overall, it was a good weekend,” coach Craig Leithead said. “It was a heartbreaking loss to Saratoga on Thursday and a gut punch, but the guys came back and showed fortitude against Kaycee and fought through a tough game. Against Meeteetse, we did what we needed to do.”

Saratoga

A point-for-point dogfight in the first quarter ended with Saratoga up by one possession, 10-8. Desmond led the Southeast offense in the opening quarter with six points. Sophomore Beaux Shimic tossed in a jumper before the second quarter commenced.

A four-point run by Desmond early in the second quarter tied the game, 15-15. The Panthers pulled ahead by two points following a pair of close-range shots by sophomore T.J. Moats.

A 3-pointer by Saratoga placed the Panthers in the lead, 25-19, at halftime.

Undaunted, Southeast outscored Saratoga, 15-11, in the third quarter. The Cyclones came within one possession of overtaking Saratoga, 31-29, when junior Kannon Tippetts scored on a fastbreak.

Saratoga widened its lead to five points. Taking possession, Desmond converted an and-1, narrowing Saratoga’s advantage to a single possession, 34-32.

The third quarter ended with the Panthers up by two points, 36-34, following an inside shot by senior Cole Sauer.

As the fourth quarter began, Desmond found an opening inside Saratoga’s perimeter to score and the game reached a 36-36 deadlock.

Desmond rebounded a missed shot by Saratoga, setting up Tippetts to toss in a jumper and Southeast took the lead, 38-36.

Desmond maintained the advantage for Southeast with a four-point run. Saratoga managed to edge up and match the Cyclones in scoring at 45 points. A pair of free throws by Desmond pulled Southeast up, 47-48, before Saratoga launched its buzzer beater.

Desmond led the Cyclones in scoring against Saratoga with 25 points. Moats and Tippetts each contributed nine points.

Kaycee

A physical first quarter between the Cyclones and the Buckaroos ended with Kaycee up by a single point, 8-7.

The back-and-forth continued into the second quarter. Moats blocked an attempt by the Buckaroos to score. 

Beaux Shimic netted a close-range shot and the game reached a 9-9 deadlock. Kaycee responded with a jumper before Tippetts broke into the Buckaroo’s perimeter to score, tying the game, 11-11, at halftime.

A scrappy Southeast defense held Kaycee to six points in the third quarter while a fast and furious Cyclones offense netted 19 points. Desmond and Sauer both tallied six points during the third quarter.

As the third quarter reached the final second, Tippetts drained a 3-pointer, widening Southeast’s advantage to 30-17 as the fourth quarter opened.

Kaycee managed to top Southeast in scoring by one point, 8-7, although the effort was far too late to bridge the Cyclones’ third-quarter advantage. 

Tippetts posted 13 points for the Cyclones against Kaycee with Desmond netting 11 and Sauer seven.

Meeteetse

A sustained effort by both the Southeast offense and defense against the Longhorns placed the Cyclones up, 10-7, after the first eight minutes of regulation. 

Southeast continued its momentum into the second quarter, outmaneuvering Meeteetse, 12-7. Desmond set the pace for Southeast in the first half with 13 points, including his 1000th career point.

Southeast controlled the scoreboard throughout the second half and prevented an attempt by Meeteetse to bridge the deficit in the fourth quarter.

Desmond led the Cyclones in scoring against Meeteetse with 26 points. Tippetts totaled seven points, Moats five, Sauer and Ayden Shimic three apiece and Beaux Shimic two.