LANDER — The Farson-Eden girls basketball team punched its ticket to the Class 1A State Tournament with a fourth-place finish at the 1A West Regional Tournament, while the Pronghorn boys saw their season come to an end one win short of qualifying.
The regional tournament was held Feb. 26-28 at Lander High School.
Girls
Farson-Eden entered regionals as the No. 3 seed out of the Southwest, earning the spot on point differential in head-to-head games against Saratoga. The Pronghorns won by nine points in one meeting, compared to Saratoga’s seven-point win, giving Farson-Eden the tiebreaker.
The Pronghorns opened the tournament with an upset, defeating No. 2 Riverside 46-35 on Thursday.
On Friday, Farson-Eden fell to Cokeville 39-26 in the semifinal round. The Lady Panthers eventually went on to win the regional championship, defeating Burlington 57-38 in the title game. With the loss, the Pronghorns moved into a Saturday morning elimination game needing a win to qualify for state.
Farson-Eden responded with a 39-23 victory, eliminating the Saratoga Lady Panthers and securing a berth at state.
In the third-place game, the Pronghorns fell to Little Snake River 40-32, finishing fourth in the West. Little Snake River claimed the No. 3 seed, while Farson-Eden earned the No. 4 seed heading into state.
The Pronghorns will open the Class 1A State Tournament against Southeast, the No. 1 seed out of the East, on Thursday, March 5 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Boys
The Farson-Eden boys entered regionals as the No. 4 seed out of the Southwest and opened play Thursday against No. 1 Northwest Burlington. The Huskies defeated the Pronghorns 59-28, sending Farson-Eden to the consolation bracket, needing two straight wins to qualify for state.
The Pronghorns kept their season alive Friday with a 67-56 victory over St. Stephens, eliminating the Eagles.
On Saturday, Farson-Eden faced Little Snake River with a state berth on the line but fell 53-32, ending the Pronghorns’ season.
Saratoga claimed the regional championship on the boys side with a 49-42 win over Cokeville, earning the No. 1 seed at state. Cokeville secured the No. 2 seed, while Burlington defeated Little Snake River 58-34 for third place, giving the Huskies the No. 3 seed and the Rattlers the No. 4.
Farson-Eden’s girls team now advances to Casper with a chance to extend its postseason run, while the boys close the year following a competitive showing at regionals.
