In a game where 22 of 52 combined free throw shoot was perhaps twice the successful percentage as shots from the floor, the Ten Sleep Pioneers advanced to the Class 1-A West Regional tournament in Lander next Thursday with a brutal 60-56 win over the Dubois Rams.
The game was played halfway between the two schools in Shoshoni. Dubois had beaten Ten Sleep in three previous meetings this season, but this time the Pioneers jumped all over the Rams in the opening minutes of the game leading 10-0 and then 24-6 in the first and second period.
Perhaps it was overconfidence after beating Ten Sleep three times already this season, but the Rams came out flat with a lackluster effort in the first 12 minutes of play. They repeatedly turned the ball over and when they did take a shot, often as not, it missed the rim, net, and backboard entirely sailing into empty space.
Dubois generated twice as many turnovers as made baskets in the first two periods.
Dubois beat Ten Sleep twice during conference play, and once at the “Little 6” tournament but the Pioneers had their number Monday evening in Shoshoni.
Pigtail games are played only in Class 1-A in conferences with five or more teams. There are five boys teams in the Class 1-A Northwest so the fourth and fifth-place teams meet at a neutral site by conference bylaws to determine who moves on to regional tournament play.
In other conferences, if a team beats another twice in league play they advance and there is no pigtail, but the Northwest 1-A plays on Monday, “Pig Monday” as it has become known.
Dubois was on the cusp of being blown out of the gym, but Ten Sleep, while playing well early, couldn’t maintain focus long enough to put the Rams away. Pigtail games are played by teams that are there for a reason and Ten Sleep left the door open for a Dubois comeback.
The final moments had the feel of a Dubois comeback as they closed to just a single possession, three points, three different times, but each time the Rams got close, and had a chance to tie the game or cut the lead to a single point they turned the ball over.
Nate Hinkle and head coach Warren Johnson were each hit with a technical foul in the final period, evidence of the frustration they were feeling.
Neither of the technical free throws had an effect on the game since the Pioneers couldn’t throw it in the ocean from the shore throughout the game.
ten Sleep was abysmal from the free throw line, hitting just 13 of 30 attempts. Dubois wasn’t much better, scoring on just nine of 21 attempts from the line.
A bright spot for the Rams in the final minutes came in Payson Pluhar who converted offensive rebounds on missed long shots into points. He tallied 14 points.
Nate Hinkle paced the Rams with 15 and Cooper Kintzler had a dozen.
Dubois ended the year 6-9 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
Ten Sleep moves on to the 1-A Regional on Thursday facing the top-seeded Cokeville at 11 am on the main floor at Bob Carey Memorial Gym in Lander.
Earlier in the weekend Dubois fell to Meeteetse 65-48 with Hinkle, Jensen Wright, and Kintzler all scoring 11 points.
DUBOIS 8 16 8 16 – 48
MEETEETSE 16 8 21 20 – 65
Dubois – Nate Hinkle 2 (2) 1-1 11, Jensen Wright 2 (1) 4-6 11, Cooper Kintzler 2 (2) 1-2 11, Payson Pluhar 3 0-6, Jonah Oard 1 (1) 4-4 9. Totals 10 (6) 10-13 48
Meeteetse – Moody 1 0-0 2, Salzman 5 (2) 3-4 19, Pina 5 0-0 10, Ogden 2 (1) 0-0 7, Moody 5 1-1 11, Potas 9 0-0 18. Totals 26 (3) 4-5 65
DUBOIS 5 8 18 25 – 56
TEN SLEEP 14 13 13 20 – 60
Dubois – Hinkle 3 (2) 3-4 15, Wright (3) 0-0 9, Kintzler 4 4-6 12, Witowski 0-2 0, Pluhar 7 0-2 14, Oard 2 2-6 6. Totals 16 (5) 9-21 56
Ten Sleep – Holiday 2 (2) 0-2 10, Fox 2 0-2 4, Fetig (1) 0-0 3, Egger 7 10-19 24, Phelps 1 1-2 3, Turgeon 6 2-5 14. Totals 18 (3) 13-30 60