The Chiefs have played Pine Bluffs many times at the state tournament but rarely in opening round action.
Wyoming Indian, the Class 2-A West Regional Champion, rolled over the fourth-seeded Hornets 66-44 in a game that was much more lopsided than the score might indicate.
Pine Bluffs was scrappy in the opening minutes, trading baskets for a pair of early ties. A breakaway dunk by Wyoming Indian sophomore Darwin Gambler brought the Wyoming Indian fans to their feet and the play was a catalyst for a Wyoming Indian scoring flurry.
Heeyeniniitou Monroe-Black scored on a pair of step-through post moves and Parlayne Ferris connected on a 3-pointer to lift the Chiefs to a 20-10 advantage at the end of the first period.
They continued to roll, eventually leading by 29 points late in the game, 66-37.
In between, Wyoming Indian led in every statistical category.
A key play came on a very athletic moved by freshman post Kelyn Mount.
Tyson Soundingsides erupted for multiple close-range shots and added a trey in one of the best performances of his career.
Pine Bluffs had only one answer in guard Carsten Freeberg who scored 28 points to lead all scorers on a wide barite of close-range shots. Many of his points came on nine-of-16 free throw shooting.
In comparison, Wyoming Indian was just two of three from the free throw line.
Soundingsides and Gambler paced the Chiefs with 19 points each, Mount added 10.
Wyoming Indian plays Tongue River, one of only two Class 2-A teams to defeat the Chiefs in the regular season at 7:30 pm on the big floor at the Ford Wyoming Center.
A state championship berth is on the line.
WYOMING INDIAN 20 20 14 12- 66
PINE BLUFFS 10 11 11 12 – 44
Wyoming Indian – Darwin Gambler 7 (1) 2-2 19, Kelynn Mount 5 0-0 10, Ryan Martel 1 0-0 2, Kenneth Addison 1 0-0 2, Parlayne Ferris (1) 0-0 3, Heeyeniniitou Monproe-Black 3 (1) 0-1 3, Tyson Soundingsides 8 (1) 0-0 19, Cordell Spoonhunter 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 (4) 2-3 66
Pine Bluffs – Carsten Freeberg 8 (1) 9-16 28, Cade Fornstrom 1 0-0 2, Justin Lerwick 1 (1) 0-0 5, Wyatt Carter 1 3-4 5. Totals 13 (2) 12-22