WHEATLAND – During their recent 10 game losing streak, Wheatland head coach Mick Cochran keep saying this was a team that could shake things up in the 3A east.
On Friday, Wheatland showed it has the potential to play with anyone. The Bulldogs and Torrington played for the fifth time in the past two seasons. Torrington had won the last four and knocked Wheatland out of the regional tournament in a 48-46 thriller last season.
Friday’s game went down to the wire in a thrilling double overtime 60-59 Wheatland win. Torrington came out and jumped to a 12-9 lead at the end of the first period and 27-19 at half. The Blazers’ Jordan Malm and Bryan Lemmon average 30 points-per-game combined. Lemmon dropped 20 and Malm 19 on Friday to account for more than half of the Blazers points.
The Blazers were deadly at the free throw line and went 19-for-27 for the game.
Malm went 10-for-11 from the charity stripe in the second half to keep the Blazers in it. Torrington stretched their led to 11 in the third quarter as the Bulldogs struggled to score to start the second half. Wheatland came scratching back and closed the gap to five (33-28).
In the second half, Wheatland’s defense held the Blazers to 1-for-10 shooting from the arc. Down three in the closing seconds of regulation, Clayton Iacovetto made a three-point play off a foul by Jared Lemmon to tie the game 40-40. Iacovetto’s size frustrated the Blazers as he finished with five blocked shots, 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Blazers took the lead again in the first overtime, 47-44. Senior Trigg Peasley made the biggest shot of his career as he hit a three to tie the game 47-47 at the end of the first overtime. Peasley finished with 19 points including four three-pointers and seven rebounds.
In the second overtime, Kobey Preuit hit a big three-pointer to put the Bulldogs up by three and Trevor Vaughn hit an off-balance layup to keep the Bulldogs in the lead. Mitch Pollock played well with 10 second half points including a big free throw in the second overtime. Malm hit a three to close the gap to 60-59 but the Bulldogs hung on for the win. Preuit finished with nine points, all in the overtime periods. Vaughn ended with seven, Jamison Brown and Zac Gunter chipped in two apiece.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs took on the No. 1 team in 3A, the Buffalo Bison. After most of the starters played 30 or more minutes the night before, the Bulldogs legs struggled to keep up with the Bison’s full court press. Wheatland jumped out to a quick 9-8 lead at the end of the first quarter off Vaughn’s seven points. The Bulldogs looked tired as they came up short on several jump shots and free throws and finished with 20 turnovers.
The Bulldogs fell 58-31 in a game that was close until the end of the half. The Bison outscored Wheatland 22-6 in the third quarter to pull away. Brown and Pollock led the Bulldogs with eight points apiece. Peasley added four, Gunter and Colton Caves added two apiece. The Bulldogs will travel to Rawlins Friday in the final regular season game.
