CHEYENNE/LARAMIE — The Green River and Rock Springs varsity basketball teams opened the 2026 calendar year with strong showings at the James Johnson Winter Classic, testing themselves against some of the top programs in Wyoming over three days in Cheyenne and Laramie.
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Rock Springs
Girls
Rock Springs opened the tournament Thursday with a dramatic overtime win against Campbell County at Cheyenne East High School. The Lady Tigers carried a 25-22 lead into halftime, but Campbell County seized momentum in the third quarter, outscoring Rock Springs 15-3. Rock Springs responded with a 24-point fourth quarter to force overtime tied at 52.
In the extra period, Isabella Gibbons scored all five of Rock Springs’ points, outscoring Campbell County 5-4 to secure a 61-56 victory. Hannah Millemon led Rock Springs with 17 points, while Kenna Walker paced Campbell County with a game-high 29. Sheiley Zancanella scored 10 of her points in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers.
Friday morning, Rock Springs faced Cheyenne South and showed no lingering effects from the overtime game the night before. The Lady Tigers’ defense limited the Lady Bison to a single field goal in the first half, a late 3-pointer, and just two free throws, building a 32-5 halftime lead. Rock Springs rolled to a 58-22 win, with seven players scoring and four reaching double figures. Millemon led the way with 12 points, going 10-for-12 at the free-throw line, while Zancanella knocked down three 3-pointers for the second straight game.
The Lady Tigers closed the tournament Saturday against Laramie. Rock Springs struggled offensively in the first half, scoring six points in each quarter while allowing Laramie to hit six 3-pointers, trailing 35-12 at halftime. Rock Springs regrouped and outscored Laramie 21-16 in the second half, but the early deficit proved too much in a 51-33 loss. Millemon finished with 21 points, including 17 in the second half, giving her 50 points over the three-game stretch.
Boys
Rock Springs’ boys opened with a decisive win over Campbell County, the defending 4A state champions, winning 59-37. The Tigers won every quarter and held Campbell County below double figures in each until the fourth. Boston James led all scorers with 17 points, including 11 in the third quarter. Antonio Cortez added 13 points through the first three quarters before sitting most of the fourth.
On Friday night, Rock Springs dominated Cheyenne South, spreading the scoring across the roster. Eleven Tigers scored, with 10 finding the scoreboard by halftime. Teague Powell led Rock Springs with 15 points, while James and Hezekiah Pervis added 13 and 12, respectively. None of the trio scored in the fourth quarter as Rock Springs pulled away for a 70-33 win.
The Tigers capped the tournament with their toughest test, facing Laramie, a program that has reached the state championship game three straight seasons. Rock Springs led 18-12 after one quarter, then surged ahead by outscoring Laramie 21-8 in the second to take a 39-20 halftime lead. James scored 13 points in the first half. The Tigers’ defense held Laramie to six points in the third quarter, extending the lead to 54-26. Laramie made a push in the fourth behind Jackson Murray’s four 3-pointers, but Rock Springs matched the effort to secure a 69-46 win. James and Murray each finished with 19 points, while Powell, Pervis and Syvon Thomas also scored in double figures. Rock Springs left the tournament with an 8-1 record entering conference play.
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Green River
Girls
Green River opened the tournament Thursday with a 63-39 win over No. 5 Laramie. Isa Vasco led the Lady Wolves with 18 points. It was all Green River from the tip-off, with head coach Clinton Landon applying full court press against the Lady Plainsmen all four quarters. Late in the third quarter, as the Lady Wolves neared the 40-point running clock mercy rule, Landon pulled his starters. Laramie went on an 11-3 run with their starters till in the game to bring the score deficit down to 25.
Friday, Green River knocked off top-ranked Sheridan 50-34, with Vasco again leading the way, this time with 22 points. The Lady Wolves lead for the duration of the ball game, maintaining control all four quarters. The tempo of the game was not what you would have expected in a #1 vs #3 matchup, as the Lady Broncs looked off their game after losing to 3A Wheatland on day one. The Lady Wolves and Lady Broncs faced off at historic Storey Gymnasium for the only non-home court advantage game of the weekend.
The Lady Wolves closed the tournament Saturday against No. 2 Cheyenne East, falling 70-53. Vasco and Sophia Arnold each scored 15 points, and Vasco reached the 1,000-career-point milestone during the game. Isa accomplished the feat early in the first half, and Coach Landon took a timeout to allow Vasco to celebrate with her teammates. Green River led for the first two quarters, heading into halftime with a four-point lead. East came out in the third quarter and absolutely dominated, outscoring the Lady Wolves by 14. Haws of the Lady T-Birds went into halftime with 6 points, and finished with 29, going 12 of 13 from the free throw line. Green River went cold from deep and wasn’t able to recover from the 3rd quarter run by East. The two teams won’t see each other again until the state tournament.
Boys
Green River’s boys dropped a tight opener to Laramie, 43-40, on Thursday. The Wolves led for the majority of the ball game, but were unable to put any real space between themselves and Laramie. Green River had some uncharacteristic turnovers in the ball game, suffering two 10-second calls and two 5-second calls. Laramie turned those opportunities into points that were the difference maker on the final scoreboard. Dax Taylor led the Wolves with 14 points, and Demaret was credited with four blocks.
Friday, Green River edged Wheatland 41-38 behind 12 points from Taylor. For the third time this year, Green River met a top-tier opponent from the lower classifications and had to find scoring from outside the regulars. Gavin Jones doubled up his PPG with 6 points against the Bulldogs, and added 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Green River led by double digits twice, but just weren’t able to pull away for good, with the game being decided in the final moments with free throws.
The Wolves rebounded Saturday with a 69-66 win over Campbell County. Green River battled against two of the best post players in the state, and shot the lights out of the gym from outside the perimeter. The Wolves hit 13 3-pointers in the contest, including six from Junior Jake Demaret, who led Green River with 24 points. Jones once again scored six points for the Wolves, Taylor added double digits, and threes from Robertson and Archibald helped the Wolves outlast the Camels down the stretch. Both teams dealt with foul trouble down the stretch.
