(PHOTOS) Heartbreak, triumph abound at 2026 WHSAA 4A Boys State Basketball Tournament

March 15, 2026

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(PHOTOS) Heartbreak, triumph abound at 2026 WHSAA 4A Boys State Basketball Tournament

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CASPER, Wyo. — Heartbreak and triumph were both on display Saturday night, as several teams vied for victory in the 2026 WHSAA 4A Boys State Basketball Tournament, with the Sheridan Broncs winning the tournament finals, narrowly defeating the Natrona County High School Mustangs.

It’s been a long weekend for many of Wyoming’s high school basketball teams. Countless teams in 3A and 4A left it all on the line throughout Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and each team should be proud of what they’ve accomplished. While the Sheridan Broncs came out on top at the finals, all of the teams who played in the 3A/4A tournament left their hearts on the court.

Star Valley took on Thunder Basin on Saturday for third place in the tournament, while Kelly Walsh took on Cheyenne Central for consolation honors. Star Valley defeated Thunder Basin 81–35 in a hotly contested matchup. Star Valley got the lead quickly and never fully let up. Dylan Shumway scored 24 points for the Star Valley Braves, while Cooper Lancaster scored another 21 points.

For the Thunder Basin Bolts, Gibson Williams scored 20 of the team’s 35 points and played a total of 22:58 in the game. However, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Braves, who had a total of 45 rebounds against Thunder Basin’s 25.

Star Valley took third place and earlier in the day, Kelly Walsh defeated Cheyenne Central for consolation. In that game, Mason Eager scored 25 of KW’s 63 points and played a total of 27:56. Logan Atnip scored an additional 19 points for KW and played a total of 25:50.

While the Cheyenne Central Indians lost to KW, they put in a good showing. Chris Martin scored a total of 14 points and played 29:00. His teammate, Colin Bailey, scored an additional 8 points and played 23:47. Cheyenne Central had 36 rebounds, while Kelly Walsh had 34.

Both Star Valley and Kelly Walsh earned their place in the tournament, but it was Sheridan and Natrona County High School who vied for the top spot.

Before the finals, Sheridan defeated both Green River (76–39) and Star Valley (71–45). Meanwhile, Natrona County defeated Campbell County and Thunder Basin in two close games — 44–42 and 59–52, respectively.

The final score of the final game was 52–47, but that doesn’t adequately demonstrate how close the game really was. For much of the game’s runtime, NC was only behind by a basket. Only toward the end did Sheridan put a bigger space between the two teams.

The crowd came to play, too. Dueling chants between NC fans and Sheridan fans permeated the Ford Wyoming Center. It was playful banter, but the emotion was sincere. The crowd was loud, too. From the first quarter to the fourth, the fans worked almost as hard as the two teams competing against each other.

Sheridan had an impressive showing, with many of the team’s players working together to add up the baskets. Riley Friday scored 15 of the Broncs’ 52 baskets, playing a total of 16:51. His teammate, Nate Miner, scored 13 points and played a total of 24:02. Johnny Spielman scored a total of 10 points and played 27:51.

Natrona County players left it all on the court as well. NC player Garret Patik scored 18 of NC’s 47 points, playing a total of 31:42. His teammate, Josiah Coleman, scored 15 points and played a total of 31:36.

Sheridan had 35 total rebounds, while NC had 23.

The heartbreak on the NC boys’ faces was as palpable as the joy among Sheridan’s boys, demonstrating just how much these tournaments mean to the young men and women who play them. It was Kelly Walsh’s head coach, Randy Roden, who summed up the feeling of the tournament for everybody involved.

“Not everyone gets a smile on Saturday at State Tournament,” he said, “because there’s some teams that lose and they’re going to have tears. We didn’t make it to the game tonight, but to finish the way we did, that’s the best you can ask for. And these seniors —some have been with me since they were little — it’s just awesome to see them play so well and come out with a W. They had to gut it out yesterday, and to see them play well today and finish together — as a coach and as a dad, it’s about as good as you can ask for.”

3A Boys Basketball Results

In the WHSAA 3A Boys State Basketball Tournament, Lovell defeated Douglas 57–54 to win first place. Torrington defeated Wheatland 61–50 to win third place, and Pinedale defeated Lander Valley 86–84 to win consolation honors.

Photos from the 4A State Championship Tournament can be seen below:

(Nick Perkins, Oil City News)

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(PHOTOS) Heartbreak, triumph abound at 2026 WHSAA 4A Boys State Basketball Tournament

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