Douglas girls basketball takes home another state championship, boys finish second

CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - The Douglas Lady Bearcats found themselves once again in the 3A state championship game on Saturday, and once again, they did not disappoint. Head Coach Cody Helenbolt’s squad officially claimed its fourth consecutive 3A state title with a 45-37 victory over Lyman.

Senior Alli Olsen helped set the tone early for the Lady ‘Cats knocking down a triple to get the scoring started, and she wouldn’t be done there. Olsen finished with 17 and was crucial down the stretch from the free throw line going 7/8 for the game to secure the victory.

Lauren Olsen, Alli’s freshman sister, finished with 12 points of her own including 10 in the first half.

After the game, Alli said “it feels great” to win a state championship with her younger sister on the team.

“I get to compete with my sister,” said the senior. “I got to get this medal with my little sister, my freshman. Like, it’s awesome. You don’t get that opportunity many times.”

Lauren was equally as excited to win a state title while she got to play with Alli.

“That’s something you’ll never experience [again],” said the freshman. “I’m so glad we won a state championship with her. We just bond so different than anybody else. It is honestly amazing.”

Douglas led 25-17 going into the break at halftime, and Brooke Wright, a junior for the Lady ‘Cats, helped keep the foot on the pedal for her squad. She finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

With the win, Coach Helenbolt’s program added its 12th girls state title in school history, which moves it into second place all-time for Wyoming high schools. That’s one more than Cokeville and five behind Campbell County.

Coach Helenbolt collected his fifth state championship trophy.

In the boys’ game, Douglas squared off against Rawlins.

Cameryn Spence came out firing for the Bearcats. He had 10 points in the first half and was riling up the crowd after each bucket.

The Outlaws hung tough though. They were able to carry a 21-17 lead into the break.

In the second half, Nate Halquist carried the offense for Douglas. He had 13 of his 17 points after going into the locker room.

Both teams traded tough baskets after Douglas was able to close the gap, and the Bearcats carried a one point advantage into the fourth quarter.

The difference proved to be an Ashton Barto bucket for the Outlaws with under two minutes left in the game. His short bank shot gave Rawlins a 38-37 lead with under two minutes remaining, and a Douglas turnover on the ensuing inbound pass helped his squad milk the clock late in the game.

The Bearcats were able to pull within one and get the ball back with 3.4 seconds left on the clock and the chance to inbound from the baseline underneath their own basket.

After several timeouts, they were unable to get the ball in and get a shot off.

Rawlins stormed the court and came away with a 40-39 victory for the 3A boys state championship. It’s the first state title for the Outlaws since 1997.

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