The Kemmerer High School boys’ basketball team saw their season come to an end Friday at the 2A State Basketball Tournament in Casper, but not before providing a few memorable moments for Rangers fans to hang their hats on. The Rangers (14-12) opened the tournament Thursday against eventual champions Pine Bluffs, losing to the Hornets 70-48. In Friday’s elimination round against Wright, the Rangers battled back from a 20-point first-half deficit to pull within two points late in the contest, eventually running out of steam in a heartbreaking loss to the Panthers, 71-62. The loss ended Kemmerer’s season, as well as the high school careers of seniors Jake Kampman, Wyatt Peternal, Chase Bowen, Mason Riding, Eric Wiswell and Ciris Kominsky.

Members of the Kemmerer Jr. Cheer Team perform during halftime of Saturday's game between the KHS Rangers and the St. Stephens Eagles. The Rangers won the game 62-51; for a full recap, see SPORTS, pg. A7. (GAZETTE PHOTO/Don Cogger)

Lady Panthers beat Encampment, Saratoga The Lady Panthers hosted the Lady Tigers of Encampment on Friday, Feb. 10. This was a crucial conference game for the Lady Panthers. They came out strong and won big, 47-35. Addison Barnes led the scoring with 14. Kylee King and Jayci Thornock each had five rebounds. Bryli Groll had four assists and five steals. The Lady Panthers had a second conference matchup on Saturday where they hosted the Saratoga Lady Panthers. This game proved to be a dogfight to the finish as the two took turns taking the lead throughout the game, but it was the home team, the Cokeville Lady Panthers, who came away with the great win, 40-38. The scoring was well balanced with Mia Dayton putting up 10, Addison Barnes with nine and Jayci Thornock and TyLeigh Dayton each with eight. Bryli Groll and TyLeigh Dayton each had six rebounds. Mia Dayton had four steals and Rachel Thomas and Bryli Groll with three apiece. It was truly a team effort. Saturday night was Senior Night where Jayci Thornock was recognized along with senior cheerleaders Ashleigh Brooks, Kamille Moore and Braelyn Diers. Congratulations, Lady Panthers, on a tremendous weekend!

The Kemmerer High School girls’ basketball team welcomed a pair of quadrant rivals to its home floor over the weekend, losing to Wyoming Indian Friday 33-26, but bouncing back Saturday with a 43-26 win over St. Stephens.

The Kemmerer High School boys’ basketball team was back on its home floor over the weekend, where it avenged a pair of quadrant losses from earlier in the season, beating Wyoming Indian 79-64 Friday, and St. Stephens 62-51 on Saturday.

Hitting the road for a two-game swing last week, the Kemmerer High School girls’ basketball team ran into a buzzsaw of sorts Thursday at Rich, Utah, in a 45-20 loss, but battled back into the win column Friday at Farson-Eden 43-28 to earn a split.

The Kemmerer High School boys’ basketball team earned a split on their most recent road trip, falling 68-58 at Rich, Utah, on Thursday, before bouncing back with a 58-47 win at Farson-Eden.

The Kemmerer High School boys’ swimming and diving team competed at the 3A South Conference Meet in Lander over the weekend, placing fourth as a team, with one individual champion and five podium finishes.

The Kemmerer High School boys’ basketball team snapped a five-game losing skid Friday night with a 58-53 win over visiting Cokeville, a run that began with the Panthers back on Jan. 7.

Consistently billed as the toughest wrestling tournament in the state, the Ron Thon Memorial Tournament in Riverton pits the top wrestlers in Wyoming in each weight class against each other, regardless of classification – a true “Best of the Best” competition.

Last weekend’s road trip to Fremont County was a tough one for the Kemmerer High School boys’ basketball team, losing conference matchups to Wyoming Indian 64-60 on Friday and to St. Stephens 79-73 on Saturday. The losses dropped the Rangers to 6-7 on the season (0-3 in 2A Southwest Quadrant play), with a pair of non-conference games coming up this weekend against Cokeville and Wind River.

The Kemmerer High School girls’ basketball team split a pair of 2A Southwest Quadrant games over the weekend, falling to No. 1 Wyoming Indian Friday 35-32, but rebounding Saturday to take down St. Stephens, 56-31.

It was a weekend to remember for the Kemmerer High School wrestling teams, as the Rangers finished first and the Lady Rangers second at the Lander Valley Invitational Friday and Saturday. The two teams combined to place 12 wrestlers on the podium, including six individual champions: Roany Proffit (126 pounds), Gabe Emery (145 pounds), Riggen Walker (152 pounds) and Landon Heaps (182 pounds) for the boys, and Kaylie Julander (140 pounds) and Nadia Runnion (190 pounds) for the girls.

The Kemmerer High School wrestling teams hosted the Joe Aimone Invitational on Friday, and made the most of its home-mat advantage, coming away with seven individual champions and 27 total visits to the podium.

The Kemmerer High School boys’ swimming and diving team had an season opener to remember over the weekend, winning Friday’s Lyman Invitational, and finishing second at Saturday’s Rawlins Pentathalon. “Coach Willoughby and I are so happy with how the boys did, especially since we had four guys out due to illness,” said KHS head coach Amanda Aimone. “We had five state qualifiers over the weekend out of our 12 guys; Seth Krell, Colter Krell, Camden Killian, Connor Dietrich and Malachi Villarreal.”

The Kemmerer High School boys’ basketball team opened the 2022-23 campaign in fine fashion over the weekend, posting a 3-0 record at the Bridger Valley Invitational.

Kemmerer's volleyball season is undwerway

Despain, Price, Thatcher, Walker qualify for state meet

Wood places seventh; Christen finishes in top 15

Panthers ranked 48