(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.

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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.