Cyclones hot entering postseason

Erick Starkey
Posted 2/23/18

The Southeast Cyclones, winning eight of their last 11 games, are looking to ride that momentum through the 2A East Regional Tournament in Torrington this weekend.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Cyclones hot entering postseason

Posted

TORRINGTON – The Southeast Cyclones, winning eight of their last 11 games, are looking to ride that momentum through the 2A East Regional Tournament in Torrington this weekend.

Southeast’s first matchup was against Upton on Thursday after press time. The Bobcats ended the regular season at 16-5, finishing third in the 2A Northeast. Thursday was the first game this season between Southeast and Upton.

With a win Thursday, Southeast advanced to the semi-finals against the winner between Wright and Lusk. If Upton upset the Cyclones Thursday, the Cyclones would play the loser between the Panthers and the Tigers in a loser-out game.

Wright comes into the regional tournament with a 14-8 record and a 9-1 mark against 2A Northeast opponents, taking the top spot in the conference. Lusk fell to the fourth slot in the 2A Southeast, finishing at 9-12 on the year, with a 2-6 record against conference opponents. Southeast has beaten the Tigers twice this year, winning 67-36 on Jan. 19 and 51-34 on Feb. 9. The Cyclones and Panthers have not met this winter.

On the other side of the bracket, second-ranked Pine Bluffs is the premier team, coming is as the only ranked team from the east side of the state. The Hornets are 21-1 this year, including two wins over Southeast, 83-43 on Feb. 2 and 75-60 on Feb. 16.

Big Horn, Glenrock and Tongue River join the Hornets on the opposite side of the bracket. Big Horn comes into the weekend at 12-10, while Glenrock sits at 10-12 and Tongue River is 7-14. Southeast had the edge over Glenrock twice this winter, winning 46-30 on Jan. 27 and 68-59 on Feb. 17. Against Tongue River, the Cyclones picked up a 57-40 win on Jan. 5, a day before Southeast fell to Big Horn in double overtime, 61-59.

Coming in as the second seed from the 2A Southeast, the Cyclones will have to prove their seeding and not allow any slipups. Against teams in the tournament, Southeast is a combined 5-3. If the Cyclones can hold form and ride their current momentum, they could be in good shape for a spot at state.