The Southeast High School Cyclones tested their mettle against 3A and 4A teams at a tournament in Cheyenne.
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CHEYENNE – The Southeast High School Cyclones proved their mettle against 3A and 4A teams at the James Johnson Winter Showcase hosted by Cheyenne Central from January 9-11.
The action began with Southeast battling Green River to a 19-19 tie at halftime on Thursday before falling, 56-41.
The Cyclones rallied on Friday to defeat Cheyenne Central’s junior varsity squad in a physical battle, 57-47.
On Saturday, Southeast came up short against Wheatland, 46-34.
“I thought we played well matched up against bigger teams at Cheyenne,” coach Craig Leithead said. “The team showed grit, heart and determination and I’m proud of them. Everyone played well and the effort was pretty well distributed among the players. We did a good job limiting turnovers (against Cheyenne Central) and I thought we kept our composure well.”
Green River
A neck-and-neck first quarter between the Cyclones and Green River ended with Green River ahead, 8-6.
Southeast outscored Green River, 13-11, in a scrappy second quarter. A buzzer-beater by junior Chase Sauer tied the game, 19-19, at halftime.
A string of 3-pointers by Green River late in the third quarter placed the Wolves ahead, 42-29. Green River netted 14 points to 12 by Southeast in the final eight minutes of regulation.
Three Cyclones scored double digits against Green River, led by junior T.J. Moats with 11 points and 10 apiece by seniors Ayden Desmond and Kannon Tippetts. Junior Beaux Shimic and senior Ayden Shimic each scored four points with two by Sauer.
Moats and Desmond both went double-double with 10 rebounds apiece. Moats shared the ball for four assists and totaled six blocks on defense. Tippetts snagged three steals.
Cheyenne Central
The Cyclones hit the ground running in the first quarter against Cheyenne Central, outmaneuvering their opponent, 17-14. Beaux Shimic set the pace offensively with nine points.
Southeast tossed in 10 points in the second quarter while holding Cheyenne Central to eight and the Cyclones led, 27-22, at halftime.
Southeast widened its lead in the third quarter. A buzzer-beater outside shot by Tippetts placed the Cyclones up by nine, 41-32, as the final quarter began.
Cheyenne Central tallied 18 points in the fourth quarter and Southeast 16, primarily from the free-throw line. Beaux Shimic drew a technical foul and went 3-for-3 at the charity stripe.
A trio of Southeast players netted double digits against Cheyenne Central, led by Desmond with 18, Beaux Shimic 17 and Moats 11. Tippetts added eight points and Ayden Shimic three.
Desmond posted his second double-double for the weekend with 11 rebounds. Moats collected five blocks.
Wheatland
Wheatland won the first half against Southeast, 22-14. The Bulldogs continued to lead, 35-21, at the end of the third quarter. The Cyclones outscored Wheatland, 13-11, in the fourth quarter, but came up short in closing the gap.
Desmond led the Cyclones in scoring against Wheatland with 12 points. Moats tossed in eight points, Tippetts six, Beaux Shimic five and Ayden Shimic three.
On the boards, Moats pulled down six rebounds. The junior also tallied four more blocks.
