For decades, Cheyenne Central made a claim to a prestigious national record: the most state championships ever won by a boys basketball team.

Between 1926 and 1998, the Indians won 24 state basketball championships, and it was indeed a national record.

Was. Until this month.

On March 8, St. Anthony of Jersey City, N.J., won its 25th New Jersey state championship, beating Trenton Catholic 74-44 in the title game.

For coach Bob Hurley -- father of former Duke great Bobby Hurley, who played for him at St. Anthony -- it was his 23rd state championship in his 36-year stint with the Friars.

But there is one big difference between St. Anthony's championships and Central's: St. Anthony's championships came in the non-public league, meaning that the Friars only played against other private schools at the state tournament.

(Never mind the fact that the New Jersey private-school state tournament that St. Anthony's won has more schools in it than Wyoming's Class 4A public-school division has total).

So, if anything else, Central can still claim it has more state championships than any other public high school in the nation. And for now, those 24 championships are safe -- the closest team to the Indians' record is Hillhouse High School of New Haven, Conn., which has won 22 state titles, including the 2007 Class LL championship.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Updated 4:50 p.m. Friday: Saturday's Camel Invitational in Gillette has been canceled. To make up for the lost meet, Kelly Walsh will host a track meet that will begin at noon on Saturday. In addition to the two Casper high schools, Douglas, Gillette and Sheridan will also compete.

Today's (Thursday's) soccer games between Rock Springs and Green River were postponed. The games will be made up Tuesday in Green River, with the girls playing at 3 p.m. and the boys at 5 p.m.

Saturday's Mountain View Invitational track meet has also been postponed. No make-up date has been set.

The Cheyenne East-Jackson soccer games, postponed from the originally scheduled date of March 20, will be made up April 22. The games will be played in Green River.

If you know of any more postponements or cancellations, let me know at patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The Torrington Trailblazers didn't waste any time wrapping up their first varsity soccer victory.

Torrington's boys beat Newcastle 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday in the Trailblazers' first varsity soccer game in school history.

For now, Torrington is all alone at the top of the 3A East standings -- not a bad place to be after game No. 1.

Inaugural seasons are full of firsts, and Torrington didn't need to wait long for its first victory.

The next test for Torrington becomes winning at home. The Trailblazers host Lander on Saturday, the first of four home games between now and April 7.

(By the way, the Torrington girls didn't fare quite as well in their first game, losing 8-0 at home to Newcastle. But give it time. My guess is the next game between these two teams, scheduled for May 6, will be a lot closer than this one was.)

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Last February, the Wyoming High School Activities Association made its first stride to revamp the state's classification alignment by giving preliminary approval to a proposal that would add two schools to Class 4A.

Class 4A has been set at 12 teams since 1991; the WHSAA's new proposal has 4A with 14.

Here's the question, though: If, indeed, the WHSAA makes the move to 14 for 4A, how do you divide the schools?

Just for reference, schools Nos. 13 and 14 -- the unlucky schools that would have to move from 3A to 4A -- are most likely Cody and Jackson. They'd join current 4A schools Gillette, Cheyenne East, Cheyenne Central, Natrona County, Kelly Walsh, Rock Springs, Laramie, Sheridan, Evanston, Green River, Riverton and Star Valley.

Geographically, one way looks superior: an East-West split. Put Gillette, Sheridan, Natrona County, Kelly Walsh, Cheyenne East, Cheyenne Central and Laramie in the East, and put Cody, Riverton, Green River, Rock Springs, Evanston, Star Valley and Jackson in the West.

But in the name of conference equity and getting the best eight teams to the state tournament -- you know, the reasons used to justify the current 4A conference alignment -- there's another alignment coming, a North-South.

It'll be Gillette, Sheridan, Natrona County, Kelly Walsh, Cody, Riverton and Jackson in the North, and Central, East, Laramie, Rock Springs, Green River, Evanston and Star Valley in the South.

Looks familiar, right? Of course. It's the North-South split that 4A schools used from 1991-2007, back when the 12 schools in 4A were so ingrained that change didn't seem like it'd ever happen. The only difference between the old and the new is the inclusion of Star Valley and Jackson -- Jackson to the North, Star Valley to the South.

And if the WHSAA chooses to expand 4A to 14, I'm afraid that's what'll happen.

The East-West split presents the same problems it did two years ago -- of the eight largest schools in the state, seven of them would be in the East. Most times, size of the student body equals success on the field/court. For those in charge, that's a huge, huge deal.

I'm not sure why. Personally, I'd be more than happy to trade equity at state (which is always in question) for equity in the regular season (which tends to pan itself out over a two-month stretch).

OK. I've said my piece. What do you think? What's more important, having equal conferences while getting the best eight teams to state -- or is it playing schools closest to you, even if it means the best eight teams don't always make it to state?

Moreover, what do you think of the WHSAA's plan to move from 12 to 14 teams in 4A? Is it a good move or a bad one? Why?

Let me know what you think and post a comment below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

With Torrington entering its first year of varsity soccer this season, and with Pinedale set to do the same next spring, I wonder what the future holds for soccer in Wyoming.

The split to two classes should help smaller schools with less of a student base to pull from, but will it actually encourage smaller schools to pick up the sport?

Newcastle is the smallest school sponsoring soccer, and only three schools larger than Newcastle -- Wheatland, Douglas and Rawlins -- don't offer the sport.

Schools smaller than Newcastle would have a tough time fielding a competitive team (only three other schools in the state have more than 200 kids total, and that's BARELY 200). So what we're looking at is, max, a Class 3A with 12 teams.

However, I've heard nothing from Wheatland, Douglas or Rawlins that would in any way lead me to believe that they're interested in adding soccer to their spring schedules. That leads me to believe that, at least for the immediate future, we'll have a Class 3A soccer division with nine teams -- and eight of those will go to state.

Maybe, and hopefully, the new 3A division will lead to some co-ops and some more soccer teams across the state. But, for now, I don't see many new teams coming on board.

What do you think? Is 3A soccer destined to be a nine-team division? What else, aside from the 3A division itself, might encourage some schools with the numbers to add a program of their own?

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

(Updated 5:38 p.m. Friday)

POSTPONED: Girls soccer, Gillette at Natrona. No make-up date has been set.

CANCELED: Track and field, Saturday's Bill Gerard Memorial Invitational in Greybull.

CHANGED: Boys soccer, Natrona at Gillette. Game times have been changed to 1 p.m. (JV) and 3 p.m. (varsity).

CHANGED: Boys soccer, a big change. The Worland Jamboree tournament has been moved to Riverton. There's too much snow in Worland to play.

For now, the Natrona Early Bird Invitational track meet in Casper is still on, as is the girls soccer jamboree in Cody. Check here for more postponements/cancellations/changes; I'll post them as I get them.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

As some of you have already guessed, I've been sick the past few days. Nasty bout of the flu. It's not gone yet, but I'm sure a little soccer will help cure what ails me...

And what do you know? Soccer season starts on Thursday. Talk about a quick turnaround.... Five days after state basketball is over, the first soccer games are already being played.

With Wyoming's short spring, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. There is no time to waste in the spring; every week is crucial to improve in time for state.

Some things to keep your eye on this spring:

-- Two classifications of soccer. The 3A schools have done a good job of scheduling each other at least once during the regular season; now it's just a matter of making sure that Jackson can ACTUALLY get over and play Newcastle (or vice versa).

-- Maggie Ochsner. The Lingle senior is shooting for her fourth consecutive state title in two events, the 100 and 200, and her third in the 100 hurdles. The Doggers move from Class 1A to Class 2A this year, but don't think that'll faze Ochsner: She started her freshman year in 2A with the Doggers and it didn't stop her then.

-- Cody Emrick. Of all the boys' track athletes in every event across the state, only Emrick, a senior at Sundance, is trying to win his third consecutive state title. And at Class 2A, Emrick is trying to win his third straight in two events: the 800 and the 1600.

-- Stephen Michel. Remember last year when Brendan Ames set those "untouchable" marks in the long jump? Michel, now a senior at Laramie and signed to UW, could blow right past them.

-- New soccer conferences. The old Southeast "Conference of Death" is gone, replaced by the East-West that was so warmly received during the basketball season. On paper, the East is stronger in both boys and girls, but plenty of time remains between now and mid-May.

I don't care what the calendar says. Spring is here. It's time to think warm, think thaw and think of a time when spring will last longer than a week. Heh.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

(As seen in Saturday's Star-Tribune)

The first two weekends in March, hundreds of basketball players -- bringing in tow thousands of parents, siblings, community members and fans -- come to Casper.

They've been doing so every year since 1983, when the Casper Events Center was brand new, as was the idea of hosting the Wyoming State High School Basketball Championships in the Oil City.

The state tournaments had been Laramie's since 1946, but the April 1982 opening of the Casper Events Center prompted the Casper-based Wyoming High School Activities Association to give the larger and more centrally located town a shot at hosting a state basketball tournament.

So, in 1983, the Class AA and A (now 4A and 3A) boys and girls tournaments took over the Casper Events Center and Casper College.

The tournaments were a financial boon for the WHSAA, which took in $49,000 in revenue in ticket sales, the most ever for a state tournament at that time. It also brought in a then-record crowd of more than 5,000 for the boys championship game session. Also, for the first time since the early 1960s, the boys championship games were broadcast live on television.

That success, coupled with scheduling conflicts with the University of Wyoming, further encouraged the WHSAA to move the state 4A, 3A and 2A tournaments to Casper for 1984.

The community hasn't let go since, hosting at least one version of the state tournament every year since then.

Since 1996, Casper has been the exclusive home of state basketball, hosting all eight tournaments (Class 1A to 4A boys and girls) at the Events Center and at Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gymnasium at Casper College.

Last year's tournaments marked the 25th consecutive year state basketball had come to Casper, and before the 26th year comes to a close tonight, the Star-Tribune decided to take a look back at the 25 best state championship games played in Casper the past 25 years.

Of course, everyone has his or her favorite game -- most likely involving the school that person supports. With nearly 200 championship games played in Casper since 1983, reducing the number to 25 was an arduous task.

The games we picked were not meant to slight or to highlight any schools or any particular teams or players; instead, the games are meant to represent a cross section of Wyoming's best basketball games, played on the state's biggest stage and with the widest audiences. The top 25 games are meant to be the games any fan could enjoy, the type of games that force all fans onto the edges of their seats -- whether they want to be there or not.

----------------------------------

1.
Newcastle 79, Torrington 77, OT
Class 3A boys, 1990
Of the three previous meetings between the Dogies and the Trailblazers, two of them went to overtime.

So, facing a 20-point deficit with 5:30 remaining, it should have been no surprise what happened -- Newcastle rallied to force overtime.

Then, in the extra time, the Dogies completed the comeback and won its first and, to date, only boys basketball championship.

Oh, yeah -- the Dogies did it without any time-outs.

"It was incredible, because we called our last (time-out) and hit a three right away, and I think we cut (the deficit) to about 12 or 13 with a little over 4 minutes to go," said former Newcastle head coach Mike Ibach, who's now the head coach at Sheridan. "The momentum, you could just feel it swing."

Once Torrington lost the momentum, they could never get it back.

"(We) hit a couple 3-pointers and then we looked at each other and said, 'We're not out of this yet,'" said former Newcastle assistant coach Paul Prosinski, who is now the head coach at Buffalo. "Once we got the momentum, it was really hard to stop us."

Every Newcastle player aided the comeback:

n  Ben Morris hit a couple key 3-pointers to keep the Dogies in it.

n  Richard Massman came off the bench to score six straight points in the fourth quarter.

n  Troy Allen added a pair of key old-fashioned 3-point plays and scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to get Newcastle into overtime.

n  Matt Haertzen all but sealed the Dogies' first championship by giving his team a four-point lead with 1:32 remaining in overtime.

"Luckily, we had enough time to get it done," Prosinski said. "It was exciting for the team, but it was really exciting for the town of Newcastle."

Ibach said the entire season was unbelievable -- the Newcastle fans consistently filled the Dogie Dome and followed their team to the state tournament.

"It was the first state title Newcastle won in the boys, and I think we had everybody in town there (for the championship)," Ibach said. "I think the last person that left town shut the lights off."

After winning it all, Ibach said it was "incredible how the community stepped up and grasped it."

The Dogies weren't new to overtimes. Newcastle actually had to win a pair of overtime games to win the championship. In the semifinals, the Dogies needed four extra minutes to beat defending state champion Star Valley, 57-56.

Also, Newcastle had beaten Torrington twice during the season in extra time -- in overtime during the regional championship game, and in double-overtime during their regular-season game in Newcastle.

Casper Star-Tribune sports writer Sally Ann Shurmur (now the paper's community news editor) summed up the championship game -- and every other game on this list of 25 and even those that didn't make the list -- in two paragraphs:

"Twenty years from now, when Massman and Morris and Allen and Haertzen have kids of their own, the record books will show a 79-77 state championship win.

"It might even say overtime. But it surely won't be able to put in words what the folks at the Casper Events Center saw Saturday night."

2.
Rocky Mountain 68, Wyoming Indian 67
Class 2A boys, 1997
The ball hung on the rim for an eternity.

Freshman Pat Minchow had let the ball sail as the buzzer sounded, and the ball just couldn't decide what it wanted to do. It hit, it spun, it almost came out, and then -- luckily for Minchow and the Grizzlies, not so much for the Chiefs -- it spun through.

Minchow's shot was an improbable end to a most improbable comeback. Rocky Mountain entered the fourth quarter down by nine points, and against Wyoming Indian that was usually insurmountable. But the Grizzlies fought back, took advantage of the Chiefs' mistakes and made the big shot when it was time.

3.
Lingle 32, Encampment 31
Class 1A girls, 2006
Encampment was trying to win its third consecutive state championship -- and with top-ranked Guernsey out of the way, it looked like the Tigers would do just that. Who was this Lingle team, anyway? Sure, Lingle HAD beaten Guernsey in the semifinals... but the Doggers couldn't win the big one.

Or could they?

Despite falling behind early, the Doggers kept on finding ways to stay in the game. And Lindsay Worley's 3-pointer at the buzzer -- a shot tipped by Encampment's Kally Custis on its way to the hoop -- gave Lingle an improbable and memorable state championship.

4.
Natrona County 87, Gillette 84, 2OT
Class 4A girls, 2000
This game was everything a state championship should be -- a big lead, a comeback, some outstanding individual efforts and a little extra time.

Gillette led by 20 points early in the second quarter, but the Fillies refused to fold, eventually taking the lead in the fourth quarter before finally sealing the win in the second overtime. And when the commotion of the action had finally settled down, the individual efforts began to show through:

Gillette's Kelsey Wicks had scored 41 points in the loss. Julie Geldien had scored 30 for NC and went 20-of-24 from the foul line all on her own. Jessica Neumiller aided the Fillies with 29 points, including five 3-pointers.

5.
Chugwater 69, Arvada-Clearmont 63
Class 1A boys, 2002
The Panthers knew what was coming. They just couldn't stop him.

Chugwater's Doug Baker scored 51 points -- 21 in the fourth quarter -- and single-handedly willed the Buffaloes past Arvada-Clearmont in one of the best individual efforts in title-game history.

Baker finished 19-of-37 from the field and was 7-of-15 from 3-point range. He also had 12 rebounds as the Buffaloes outscored the Panthers 31-14 in the fourth quarter, overcoming a 17-point third-quarter deficit in the process.

6.
Thermopolis 70, Kemmerer 61, OT
Class 3A boys, 2004
While the overtime itself was anticlimactic, the 32 minutes preceding it were high school basketball at its best.

The game was a back-and-forth affair all the way through. Both teams made big runs, and it wasn't until Kemmerer's Riley Burris missed an off-balance shot in the lane -- and only after the ball bounced up and around and off and finally away from the bucket -- that overtime came.

The game was a rematch of the 2003 championship, a game Thermopolis also won.

7.
Mountain View 48, Douglas 46
Class 3A girls, 1997
Sunny Guild had waited a year for her revenge on Douglas, the team that had knocked her Mountain View team out of the 1996 state tournament.

In the last moments of the fourth quarter, she finally had her chance. The Buffalos scored the last seven points of the game -- including Guild's 10-foot jumper at the buzzer -- to finish the season undefeated.

Guild also had a key steal to set up her game-winning shot, which helped the Buffalos complete a 25-0 season.

8.
Torrington 67, Jackson 65
Class 3A boys, 1986
After losing the 1985 championship in overtime to Powell, the top-ranked Trailblazers were not going to be denied again.

After trailing for most of the game, Torrington got two buckets from Ty Muma to take the lead in the last two minutes. Kelly Lively also made a key putback, and Muma added a steal at halfcourt in the last five seconds to secure the long-awaited state championship.

Jackson, keyed by Rick McMullen's 19 points, was trying to win its third state championship in four years but fell short.

9.
Lusk 38, Wind River 36
Class 2A girls, 1996
For three minutes in the fourth quarter, the Lusk Tigers were as good as any basketball team in Wyoming's history.

In those three minutes, the Tigers rallied from a nine-point deficit, sealing the run with what ended up being the game-winning 3-pointer from Ann Anderson with less than 3 seconds remaining.

This came after the Cougars held Lusk to only eight points in the first half while forcing 17 Tiger turnovers.

10.
Star Valley 60, Powell 59
Class 3A girls, 2000
Bridget Brog really was never the intended taker of the game-winning shot. But she certainly put herself in the right place at the right time.

After Powell's Heidi Winninger missed a foul shot with 7.5 seconds remaining, Star Valley rebounded and Brog caught a pass at about midcourt. She dribbled hard, got past a Powell defender and banked in the game-winning shot as time expired.

The shot helped cap the Braves' rally from a seven-point halftime deficit.

11.
Sheridan 62 Gillette 61
Class 4A boys, 2003
The Camels were kings of 4A basketball, but Devan Royer and the Broncs bopped Gillette from its perch with one well-placed 3-pointer. Royer's trey with 13.2 seconds remaining gave Sheridan a lead it wouldn't let go. Sheridan won its first title since 1959; Gillette, winners of 10 titles the previous 13 years, hasn't won a championship since.

12.
Wyoming Indian 60, Mountain View 59
Class 2A boys, 1991
The Chiefs scored six points in a span of 16 seconds late in the fourth quarter to turn a three-point deficit into a three-point lead, a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Coach Al Redman dedicated the championship to his brother Vince, who had died three weeks prior to the state tournament. Baudelio Gutierrez had 16 of his 23 points in the final quarter for the Chiefs.

13.
Burlington 39, Pine Bluffs 38, OT
Class 1A girls, 1992
Amy Baker had two chances to win the game for Pine Bluffs -- once with a free throw with 5 seconds remaining in regulation, once with a shot in the paint in the final three seconds of overtime. Both missed. Burlington's Cori Iverson scored 15 points, including a key basket in the final minute of regulation, and also grabbed a huge rebound on Baker's OT miss.

14.
Cheyenne Central 41, Cheyenne East 39
Class 4A girls, 2005
Somehow, little-touted Central beat the top three ranked teams in the state to earn the championship. Losers to East by 24 just a week earlier, the Indians stuck right with the Thunderbirds throughout the game, and Hillary Carlson's jumper with 3 seconds to go provided the championship margin.

15.
Gillette 72, Cheyenne East 69, OT
Class 4A boys, 1993
The lead changed hands four times in the fourth quarter, but in overtime, the Camels took control to win their 31st consecutive game and cap an undefeated season. The Thunderbirds gave the Camels a huge test, as East's Russell Brown sent the game to overtime with two foul shots with 5 seconds remaining.

16.
Tongue River 49, Big Horn 43, OT
Class 2A girls, 2007
Going for their third consecutive state title, the Eagles ran into a stumbling block with the Rams and fell behind early. But Tongue River hung in the game, and a strong final 12 minutes from senior Courtney Johnson -- and a putback with 3 seconds remaining in regulation from Bethany Yellowtail -- helped to give TR the title.

17.
Cokeville 57, Shoshoni 55
Class 1A boys, 1997
In Dick Cotton's last game as the Wranglers' head coach, his team gave Cokeville all it could handle. But after a deep 3-pointer from Wedge Fike tied the game, Cokeville's Jesse Birch broke through Shoshoni's press and hit the game-winning layup with 5.2 seconds to go.

18.
Star Valley 46, Powell 45
Class 3A girls, 1988
Sophomore Keri Erickson didn't play like a sophomore, scoring a team-high 18 points, including the game-winning free throw with 3 seconds showing on the clock, to lead the Braves to the championship. She also scored five points in a row midway through the fourth quarter to keep Star Valley within striking distance.

19.
Encampment 40, Southeast 38
Class 1A boys, 2008
The only game on the list from the 26th year of state championships in Casper (which started last weekend), the Tigers' first championship earned a spot on the list not for the start of the game, nor for the middle. Instead, it was the ending -- Garrett Pantle's baseline jumper as time expired -- that provided all the excitement in a game that was close throughout.

20.
Wyoming Indian 59, Lusk 55, OT
Class 2A girls, 2004
The defending champion Lady Chiefs didn't give up after falling behind 21-9 early in the second quarter. Instead, Wyoming Indian continually chipped away at Lusk's lead, and Chanice Glenmore sent the game to overtime with her game-tying jumper with 12 seconds remaining in regulation.

21.
Gillette 61, Sheridan 60
Class 4A boys, 1994
Gillette was in the midst of one of its finest runs -- the 1994 title was the third of six straight for the Camels. But after staking a 24-point first-half lead, the Camels almost saw it all melt away. Still, they held off Ben Phillips and the Broncs in the second half to win the title by the thinnest of margins.

22.
Greybull 42, Lovell 41
Class 2A boys, 2006
Greybull's Josh Corson threw up the prettiest air ball the Events Center had ever seen. Corson's off-balance shot wasn't intended to be an air ball, but right there waiting to clean up Corson's mess was teammate Nathan Patrick. Patrick caught it, turned and shot, and his layup at the buzzer gave the Buffs the one-point victory.

23.
Southeast 54, Albin 52
Class 1A girls, 1997
Southeast beat the top three ranked teams in Class 1A to win the state tournament, capped by a win over Albin in the title game. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 36, but that's where Becky Ward took over, scoring nine in the frame for Southeast. The Wildcats made only seven of their 16 foul shots in the fourth.

24.
Kaycee 72, Burlington 71
Class 1A boys, 1999
The Buckaroos and the Huskies went back and forth all game, trading buckets at will. Rory Robinson's layup with 1 minute, 36 seconds remaining put Kaycee up for good, but it wasn't until Burlington missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that the Buckaroos could relax. James Christiansen scored 40 in the loss.

25.
Riverton 40, Sheridan 38
Class 4A girls, 1984
Riverton was on its way to a perfect 24-0 season, and early on, it looked like the Wolverines would have no problem with the Broncs. Somewhere along the line, Sheridan started hitting its shots and began to rally, but Riverton maintained its lead and eventually came away with the championship.

Written and posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com.

Looking for motivation, dear underdogs? Look right here.

BOYS
Class 4A
Natrona County: 3-2
The Mustangs have to be the overwhelming favorites in this bracket. And why not? At 22-1, NC is looking every bit as good as we thought they might, even back at the end of last year. And NC has proven it knows how to win close games.

Gillette: 5-1
The Camels cruised through the East Conference and the regional tournament.... But have they improved enough to give the Mustangs a real challenge?

Rock Springs, Green River, Evanston: 10-1
Any one of the other three qualifiers from the West Conference has the ability to knock off the Mustangs. All it takes is a little confidence. And a lot of defense. And a lot of boxing out.

Cheyenne Central: 12-1
The Indians pushed NC to overtime way back on opening weekend and have the ability to win it all -- even if they did end the season on a 1-3 slide.

Cheyenne East, Laramie: 35-1
Just don't see it. Sorry. Of course, we all know what Laramie did last year, and we all know East has enough pride to keep from folding.

Class 3A
Buffalo: 2.5-1
The Bison -- and their 22-1 record -- are the most consistent team in a classification full of inconsistency. That alone earns them the favorites' role.

Pinedale: 5-1
Remember way back in like December or January when I said the Wranglers would be that team that would go .500 or so during the regular season, and then be the team that "comes out of nowhere" to compete at state... even though they've been solid all season? Yeah, that still rings true, especially after the West Regional championship they won.

Wheatland: 6-1
Losing three straight right before regionals probably didn't help the Bulldogs' confidence. But winning two at regionals before losing by three in the regional championship should bring that confidence back.

Newcastle: 10-1
The Dogies are probably one year away from being one of the favorites for a state championship. But that doesn't mean they don't have the talent to do something special this year, too.

Lander: 15-1
Dangerous team right here. Easily overestimated, the Tigers have the talent to make it to Saturday -- and once they're there, it's a toss-up anyway...

Lyman: 25-1
Never underestimate state tournament experience. (Oops, maybe I just did...)

Jackson, Kemmerer: 30-1
Kemmerer's inconsistency really scares me, but the Rangers always play with heart and purpose. Jackson could be tough, but an unforgiving first-round opponent (Buffalo) might be too much to overcome.

GIRLS
Class 4A
Gillette: 3-1
Even with the loss in the regional championship, I still think the Camels are the favorites. They have too many big wins for me to think otherwise.

Sheridan, Cheyenne Central: 4-1
If the Camels slip up, the Broncs and the Indians are right there, ready to take their place.

Natrona County: 6-1
The West Regional champs had the misfortune of playing in the weaker conference. How that will affect them at state remains to be seen.

Rock Springs: 10-1
The Tigers could be trouble if they get past Sheridan in the first round.

Green River, Evanston, Cheyenne East: 28-1
It wouldn't be a surprise to me to see any of these three teams win on Thursday. It would be surprising to see them win in the semis on Friday. And it'd be jaw-dropping to see any one of these three win a state title. But that doesn't mean it can't happen.

Class 3A
Jackson: 2-1
Favorites all the way. Following up a state championship season with a 24-1 record earns you that respect.

Torrington: 5-1
What did the 'Blazers learn from last week? The right lesson, or the wrong one? I'm banking on the right one.

Douglas: 9-1
Maybe the most confident team in the bracket.

Lovell: 12-1
You can never count out a team that has Kristen Scheffler -- especially if the Bulldogs beat Torrington on Thursday.

Powell: 16-1
The Panthers have been waiting all year to bust loose. No sense waiting any more, ladies...

Newcastle: 18-1
Noticing a trend? Past the top two favorites, this is an extremely even field....

Worland: 20-1
... and any one of these eight teams can win it all. ...

Glenrock: 25-1
... Forget the rankings and the records. This 3A girls bracket will be the most fun of them all this weekend.

There they are.

Before we move on, I have a couple other items to share. First comes from online editor Ron Gullberg:

"The Online Department is stepping up its video features effort for the 3A/4A basketball tournament. One feature it wants to do is players' tattoos. In an effort to better prepare for the feature, the Online Department is asking anyone out there with prior knowledge of players' tattoos that are on display to e-mail Online Editor Ron Gullberg at ron.gullberg@trib.com. These are tattoos that are viewable while a player is in uniform. Let us know who to look for on Thursday."

Then there's this: With both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton planning visits to Casper this week (read about that here and here), I say we put together a little prize. Get both presidential candidates to sign a basketball (actually, four basketballs) and give each state champion an autographed basketball during the trophy ceremony.

This is something that president Franklin Roosevelt did in Casper during a 1936 campaign stop. Roosevelt's stop was in Casper on a Friday night, the same night as Natrona County High School's football game against Midwest. Roosevelt signed a football and asked that it be given to the winning team. NC won the game.

(By the way, I've asked around about this, and no one at NC has any clue where the football might be.... I'd bet the Obama/Clinton basketballs would be a little bit better cared for this time around.)

What do you say, Dems? I'll be more than happy to pay for the basketballs out of my own pocket and hand-deliver them to you Friday when you get to Casper.... :) We'll see.

(Also, by the way... Clinton is speaking at Casper College at 6:30 p.m., so if you're planning on going to any of the four games up at the college on Friday night, I'd suggest getting up there early. Security and parking might take a lot longer than you think. Just a suggestion.)

OK, brilliant idea time is over. Time for y'all to give me your predictions. Just make it a little bit more thoughtful than Clubber Lang's predictions, all right?

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Class 3A
Pinedale vs. Lander, noon
Wheatland vs. Kemmerer, 1:30 p.m.
Lyman vs. Newcastle, 7:30 p.m.
Buffalo vs. Jackson, 9 p.m.

GIRLS
Class 4A
Natrona County vs. Cheyenne east, 9 a.m.
Gillette vs. Evanston, 10:30 a.m.
Rock Springs vs. Sheridan, 4:30 p.m.
Cheyenne Central vs. Green River, 6 p.m.

Class 3A
Douglas vs. Worland, 9 a.m.
Lovell vs. Torrington, 10:30 a.m.
Newcastle vs. Powell, 4:30 p.m.
Jackson vs. Glenrock, 6:30 p.m.

Class 4A games will be at Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gym on Thursday and at the Casper Events Center on Friday; Class 3A games will be at the Casper Events Center on Thursday and Swede Erickson T-Bird Gym on Friday.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The 3A-4A state basketball tournament will use the old schedule of class rather than gender. This year's 1A-2A tournament split the schedule up by gender (boys playing at one site one day and the other the next, same for the girls) and the 3A-4A tournament was supposed to be set up the same way. But with the seeding mix of the 4A teams that qualified today, there was no way to set up the schedule to give fans adequate time to travel from the Casper Events Center to Casper College, especially during the semifinal round.

This year's tournament will be set up similar to past 3A-4A tournaments, with the 3A teams at the Events Center on Thursday and Casper College on Friday and the 4A teams at the college Thursday and the big house Friday.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com