I am so proud of the dedication and effort this team has put in not only this season but the past three years. Despite being undersized and outmatched physically in many of our games, the Lady Blazers always found a way to compete and have achieved some remarkable successes. ”

Coach Chris Strampe

CASPER – The Torrington High School Lady Blazers clinched fourth place following three days of intense competition against other top-ranked teams at the 3A state tournament in Casper from March 13-15.

Torrington opened the tournament with a bang, pulling ahead of the Lander Lady Tigers in an explosive fourth quarter during the quarterfinals on Thursday to secure a 47-36 victory.

The semifinals pitted the Lady Blazers against Cody with Torrington coming up short, 48-28.

Returning to the court on Saturday, Torrington squared off against Pinedale for third place. Despite a strong effort by the Lady Blazers to close Pinedale’s early lead in the fourth quarter, the Lady Wranglers won, 65-44.

“We liked the position we were in this year coming into state as the No. 2 seed from the east,” coach Chris Strampe said. “Our primary focus was to win our first-round game and make it into the semifinals, something our program hasn’t been able to do for the past 10 or so years.”

The Lady Blazers wrapped up the regular season with an impressive 9-1 conference record to bag the No. 2 spot in the 3A East. Torrington finished second at the regional tournament and also posted a 14-8 overall record.

“I am so proud of the dedication and effort this team has put in not only this season but the past three years,” Strampe added. “Despite being undersized and outmatched physically in many of our games, the Lady Blazers always found a way to compete and have achieved some remarkable successes. 

“Not only did they make it to state for the past three years, but they improved in finish as well, growing from eight place to fifth and then fourth this season. They were able to accomplish all of this collectively and unselfishly, without one standout player carrying them to success like most of the top teams in 3A.”

Quarterfinals

The first quarter between Torrington and Lander resulted in an 11-11 draw.

Junior Kennedy Reinhardt opened scoring for the Lady Blazers with a six-point run. Fellow junior Natalie Long knocked down a 3-pointer while senior Madix McIntosh netted a jumper.

Lander took control of the scoreboard in the second quarter, topping Torrington in scoring, 12-7, to establish a 23-18 halftime lead. Senior Olive Osmera kept the Lady Blazers on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer and an inside shot while Long tossed in a jumper.

Torrington blasted back in the third quarter with the Lady Blazers outscoring the Lander, 18-10.

Reinhardt tallied six points in the third while McIntosh and seniors Jaycee Hurley and Teryn Stokes each collected four points.

The game tied at 33 points late in the third quarter. A trey by McIntosh in the remaining five seconds placed Torrington in the lead, 36-33, as the fourth quarter commenced.

Strong shooting and rebounding by the Lady Blazers in the fourth quarter saw Torrington netting 11 points while holding Lander to three. 

Long shot 7-for-10 from the free throw line to anchor the Torrington offense in the final eight minutes of regulation.

Reinhardt and Long both led the Lady Blazer offense against Lander with 12 points apiece. McIntosh, Osmera and Hurley each contributed six points with Stokes netting five.

“The first-round matchup against Lander started out a little rough as we struggled to stop them defensively,” Strampe said. “We made some adjustments on both ends and came out dominant in the second half. I was proud of how the girls responded by digging deep and finding another gear mentally and physically. The senior crew played great defense and took care of the little things that make our team work while our two juniors, Natalie Long and Kennedy Reinhardt, were the big offensive forces in this game.”

Semifinals

Cody pulled up in the first half against Torrington, 16-8, before outmaneuvering the Lady Blazers, 9-4, in the second quarter.

The halftime score favored Cody, 25-12.

The third quarter proved closer with Torrington tallying 12 points to 14 from Cody. The Lady Fillies sealed the win with a 9-4 run in the fourth quarter.

“Once we were in the top four (at state) with Douglas, Cody and Pinedale, we knew we were going to have to play some incredible basketball to compete,” Strampe said. “This season featured some of the best basketball teams I have ever seen. This growth in skill level and competitiveness is a testament to how far women’s basketball has come and I am extremely honored that our team was part of that process.”

Stokes paced the Lady Blazer offense against Cody with six points while Osmera, Long, Hurley and Reinhardt each collected five points for the Lady Blazers.

“Our semifinal matchup with Cody was a tough one,” Strampe added. “They are a team that is tall, athletic and strong at every position and we knew we would have to play a perfect game to keep up with them. We were able to hang around for a while but ultimately couldn’t convert on enough opportunities to match their scoring. While we ultimately lost, I was proud of how our girls competed until the very end.”

Third-place match

Torrington nearly matched Pinedale in scoring in a scrappy first quarter on Saturday with the Lady Wranglers up by only one possession, 14-12, as the second quarter commenced.

Pinedale went on a 19-9 run in the second quarter to widen its lead at halftime, 33-21.

The Lady Wranglers topped the Lady Blazers in scoring, 18-7, in the third quarter.

Torrington battled back in the fourth quarter to outscore Pinedale, 16-14.

Hurley posted double-digit scoring against Pinedale with 13 points. 

McIntosh and Stokes both contributed seven points.

“In the third-place matchup, we played another elite team in Pinedale,” Strampe said. “Pinedale had been the No. 1 team in the ranking for the past eight weeks coming into state. Once again, we couldn’t quite match the scoring they were capable of.”

The Lady Blazers look forward to next year as the team reflects on a memorable season.

“Our seniors will move on to their next goals, leaving a strong legacy for our upcoming players who are ready to step into their own roles,” Strampe said. “The future is certainly bright for Blazer girls’ basketball. A guiding focus we had this year is that the journey is the destination and we will always cherish the memories we made together on the journey of this team.”