BOYS

1. Evanston

9-1 4A West, 17-4

Evanston’s one blemish on the conference season was a 52-51 loss to Kelly Walsh in Casper on Feb. 16. A loss isn’t always the worst thing that can happen — especially in Evanston’s case where it did not make a difference in the final regional seedings.

The Red Devils employ the best one-two offensive punch in the state in Braxton Hiatt (20 ppg) and Chase Critchfield (18.7 ppg), but the strength of this team goes beyond its offensive numbers. Senior point guard Brenden Mathson doesn’t make headlines with his stat line but has been lauded for his decision making and tough on-the-ball defense.

Evanston has a pair of 6-foot, 7-inches post players in Chandler Anderson and Lance Evans and can run with either big- or small-ball lineups.

Evanston has beaten every team in the conference but has struggled in late-game moments, allowing opponents to crawl back into games.

Kelly Walsh offers the most challenging matchup for Evanston in the 4A West and has twice out-rebounded the Devils on the offensive glass by significant margins. Don’t be surprised to see these two teams playing for a regional title on Saturday. And don’t be surprised if late-game rebounding again plays a factor in the final outcome.

2. Kelly Walsh

7-3 4A West, 10-11

Kelly Walsh is the defending 4A state champion in name only. The Trojans rolled out an entirely new varsity squad this year, and will return all but one player next season.

Under head coach Randy Roden, the Kelly Walsh boys program is known around the state to have one “on year” followed by an “off year” in terms of competing for a state title — but this team, in the middle of an “off year,” finds itself already guaranteed a spot in the state tournament and looking to compete for the No. 1 seed from the 4A West.

The Trojans are the only team in the 4A West other than Evanston to have beaten every other team at least once. Junior wing Davion McAdam (13.9 ppg) doesn’t shoot well from 3, but he can score in droves by beating defenders off the dribble.

With Connor Shopp and Brooks Browning, Kelly Walsh has enough size in the middle to match up with Evanston. However, this team might be the most volatile of any in the region. A first-place finish seems just as likely of an outcome as fourth place.

3. Rock Springs

5-5 4A West, 12-9

Rock Springs took down both Kelly Walsh 50-45 and Natrona 67-59 to climb up to the third spot and will take on Jackson in an elimination match on Thursday for a bid into state.

Freshman Graedyn Buell leads the 4A West in points (22.4) and assists (6.3) per game but has shot his team out of as many games as he has won.

Nick McMurtrey and Derek Lionberger form a long front line for the Tigers and both contribute double digits in scoring.

Rock Springs pushed No. 1 Evanston to the limit on Feb. 10 before the Devils came from behind to win 70-65. However, the day before on Feb. 9, Jackson beat the Tigers in Rock Springs 62-58.

Rock Springs is the favorite to advance, but this matchup looks like more of a toss-up than you expect in a No. 3 vs.  No. 6 regionals game.

4. Green River

4-6, 14-7

No team in the 4A West had a better record in the preseason than Green River, but it has been a struggle since the beginning of conference play. The preseason schedule was deceptive — Green River did not take on a 4A opponent until its fifth game — but the Wolves have shown flashes throughout the 10-game conference schedule. The Wolves’ best win was a 22-point drubbing of Kelly Walsh on Feb. 3. They also came close to upsetting Evanston on Feb. 9, losing 77-72 in overtime.

Green River lacks a true No. 1 scoring option. Instead, the team shares the ball exceptionally well and relies on a heavy dose of perimiter passing until an opening presents itself. Green River lost its most recent matchup against Natrona 64-61 and will have to fight to earn its first state bid in nine years.

5. Natrona County

3-7 4A West, 5-16

There is only one word to describe a Natrona County game this season: ugly. Brennan Hagar (10.5 ppg), Brett Norvelle (10.2 ppg) and Carson Johnson (8.4) are the top three scorers on the year, but on a given night, any one of seven guys could lead the offense. 

Natrona has made a lot of good teams play badly this year, and that is once again the goal heading into regionals. With only five wins on the season, a state bid would be a surprise, but Natrona does get the team — Green River — it just upset on the penultimate day of the regular season.

6. Jackson

2-8, 7-13

A little like Natrona, this Jackson team is a sixth seed that nobody feels too comfortable playing against in an elimination match. For one, Jackson is the host city of the tournament. The Broncs are also a team that will shoot from beyond the arc with reckless abandon and can get hot in a hurry.

For Rock Springs, this is the third meeting with Jackson this season. Jackson nearly upset the Tigers on Jan. 20, losing 80-78. In Rock Springs, Jackson did win on Feb. 9, 62-58.

The Broncs don’t have the size to match up with Rock Springs or a player to match the dynamic scoring ability of Graedyn Buell. However, Rock Springs might have hurt itself by climbing up to the third spot, as it now takes on a team that seems to have its number.

GIRLS

1. Kelly Walsh

10-0 4A West, 17-4

After a decade of dominance, fortunes have flipped in Casper, and it’s Kelly Walsh — not Natrona County — that is the top school in the 4A West. Kelly Walsh fittingly started its 10-0 run through the conference with a 52- 44 win over Natrona on Jan. 19. The victory snapped a 72-game conference winning streak in the regular season for Natrona.

Three-time all-state selection Maddy Vinich (16.6 ppg) leads the way for the Trojans and can play any position on the court — but the strength of this team is its depth.

Kelly Walsh has five players who average at least six points per game and can score from anywhere on the court. Senior Jamia Johnson and sophomore Corrin Carruth can command the post with the pick-and-roll attack. In games where the low-post has been taken away by opposing defenses, Hallie Jimenez (45 percent from 3) and Maddy Vinich (34 percent) have hit shots from the outside.

If the Trojans do have a weakness, it is the overall youth of key players. The senior-laden Evanston Red Devils twice pushed Kelly Walsh to its limit before the Trojans ultimately ended up with wins in both — but if the two teams meet up for a third time in the regional championship, there is plenty of reason to think the final outcome could be different.

2. Evanston

7-3 4A West, 15-6

Evanston managed to hang onto the other automatic state bid after Natrona County lost to Rock Springs on the final day of the regular season. The Red Devils began the conference season 4-1, but finished it 1-2. Evanston’s likely opponent on Friday is Natrona. Evanston split the regular-season series with the Fillies. In the most recent meeting on Feb. 17, Natrona flustered the Evanston offense with a combination of box-and-1 and 2-3 zone defensive schemes.

The Red Devils have 22 years of combined varsity experience and will make their third-straight appearance at the state tournament next week. Seniors Emmery Wagstaff and Hailey Barker have played varsity since their freshman season, and Tayler Groll and Megan Fisher are playing their third year at varsity.

Should the Devils meet up with Natrona for a third time on Friday, they will have their hands full trying to redeem themselves from their Feb. 17 falter. However, other than Kelly Walsh, Evanston looks to be the only other team with realistic aspirations for a regional title.

3. Natrona County

6-4 4A West, 12-9

Despite returning much of last year’s team that went 10-0 in the conference season, this year’s Natrona squad appears to miss departed seniors Jaye Johnson and Amber Johnson more than was anticipated around the state to begin the year.

Natrona finished the regular season 3-1 and has trended up since switching its offense to a post-heavy scheme. But senior post Kristy Dick (17.1 ppg) and sophomore post Kate Robertson (7.8 ppg) weren’t able to do enough on Saturday to defeat Rock Springs and earn yet another automatic bid into state.

Outside shooting has long been a staple of Fillies basketball, but the team has shot just 25 percent from 3 this year (ninth in 4A).

Still, this team has had enough success on the defensive end to upend top teams Evanston and Cheyenne East throughout the year, and has a reasonable chance to be playing on Saturday for the regional title.

4. Rock Springs

5-5 4A West, 11-10

Sophomore point guard Ky Buell is the top female shooter in the state. Nobody in 4A averages more per contest than Buell (22.9 ppg), and no team in 4A lives and dies as much on the performance of its top option than Rock Springs.

Season-ending injuries to senior post Emily Quigley and senior guard Sarye Thomas have depleted the Tigers roster. Senior wing Taylor Jenkins (3.5 ppg) has a significant knee injury that she has opted to play through, but it has hampered her ability to contribute for extended stretches. Senior post Selena Cudney (10.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg) averaged just under a double-double on the year. She is undersized in the paint at 5-foot, 7-inches, but relies on grit to sniff out boards on the offensive glass.

Rock Springs should not have much trouble advancing to state with a win over Jackson on Thursday but will need yet another big night from Buell on Friday to take down Kelly Walsh.

5. Jackson

2-8 4A West, 5-15

Jackson ended a multi-year losing streak in the second game of the season by beating Riverton 56-48 on Dec. 8. The team also earned its first conference wins since joining 4A by sweeping Green River in the season series.

However, it looks like the road will end on Thursday for Jackson against Rock Springs. The Broncs struggle to hold onto the ball (24 turnovers per game) and shoot just 31 percent from the field (12th in 4A). The Broncs lack a go-to scorer, and have been outmatched by Rock Springs 69-44 and 57-43 in their two meetings.

6. Green River

0-10 4A West, 6-16

Green River already knew it was losing a lot coming into 2017-18, with four-year starter Taylor Stoeger graduating. The Wolves then lost starting point guard Maddy Heiser four games into the season.

Leading scorer and rebounder Ashlynn Birch was lost for the year midway through the conference year with stress fractures, and then senior Andri Dewey suffered a knee injury the following week to take her out for the season.

Green River will likely reap the benefits in the future of having to give so many young players varsity minutes this year, but the Wolves season likely will end on Thursday.