(Pavillion, WY) – The Purple Palace will be filled to capacity Saturday afternoon as the 3-0 Class 2-A Southwest Wyoming Indian Chiefs play to 2-0 Wind River Cougars for the inside track to a conference title and the inside track to a first place seed in the upcoming Class 2-A West Regional in Riverton.
The Chiefs are the hottest team in Class 2-A over the last seven games. Wyoming Indian won six of those, losing only to Class 3-A Lyman by just a single point.
Wind River is playing well too, riding a four-game winning streak with lopsided wins over St. Stephen’s, Wright, Glenrock, and Big Piney.
The Cougars are back to full strength after some serious mid-season injuries.
Wyoming Indian head coach Craig Ferris has developed this team perhaps farther than any other squad in any classification in the state.
Wyoming Indian was 1-6 to start the year but now boasts a 7-7 record with just a couple of weeks remaining in the regular season.
Wind River is 10-5 on the season.
Both teams have wins over talented Rocky Mountain out of the Northwest 2-A, but split contests with Greybull.
The Chiefs and Cougars have similar playing styles with subtle differences. Both like to run, apply pressure defense, and both Ferris and Wind River head coach Justin Walker go quickly to their benches.
The up tempo playing style of both teams lends itself to good players coming off the bench, and both can draw on that strength.
The varsity girls play at 1:30 pm, and the boys follow with tipoff scheduled for 3 pm.
Seating is tight for this game every year, and in the past fans have been turned away when the gym is full.
There will be a $3 admission this fee as part of a fundraiser by Wind River for their annual Service Week.