Wyoming Boys South Fall To The North

Finn Rolseth, a former Saratoga Panther, closed the final chapter of his high school career on July 20.

Rolseth, who graduated from Saratoga Middle High School earlier this year, played in the Wyoming Coaches Association All-Star Game at Casper College. Wyoming Boys South fell to Wyoming Boys North, 80-69.

Rolseth said the all-star game was a big challenge because it was fast-paced.

“The biggest adjustment between 1A and the all-star game was the speed,” Rolselth said. “Everything’s faster. I didn't get many breaks and there were two practices a day so it got me back into shape quickly.”

Rolseth said the North is a tough team with athletes from well-experienced programs. He said despite the loss, he believes the 1A athletes have proven they can give a good fight to the top programs in the North.

“The North just kept their foot on the gas and held a 10-point lead for almost two quarters, " Roselth said. “It was a fun experience and I’m glad I got to show some bigger schools that 1A kids can play with them.”

According to Frank Gambino of WyoPreps, the North had a tremendous 1st quarter as they had a 17-2 lead but the South never gave up and outscored the North 17-9 in the 2nd quarter. The North took advantage with a solid 3rd quarter of play and was led in scoring by Eli Patterson of Buffalo and Parker Anderson of Lovell with 13 points apiece. Maisen Borchardt from Jackson and Colton Rogers from Natrona threw in 10 points each.

Gambino also reported the South got a great game from Trey Rinn of Douglas who led all scorers with 17 points. Cheyenne Central's Joe Sawyer had a dozen, Rolseth finished with 10 points and Chase Bowen of Kemmerer had 8 points.

Denver Allard, head basketball coach for the Rawlins Outlaws and head coach for the Wyoming South Team, said the team had a slow start but made every effort in the second half of the game.

“We got out to a slow start and we were down 17-2 at one point,” Allard said. “The kids played a better second quarter and, even though there were some missed layups, our team cut the lead down to two points at halftime.”

Allard said his players were out-sized in height by the North. However, he said it did not stop them from making any efforts.

“Unfortunately, the North came out with big plays in the second half,” Allard said. “No matter what we did, we did all we could to get back into the game. The North just played a great game and our defense played well in keeping pace with them.”

According to Allard, the game had an unfair disadvantage for his team because of how Casper College set the floor up. Allard said he gave credit to the North on the way they played. He said the North's rebounding was the main factor.

“We got out-rebounded,” Allard said. “The other issue is the way Casper College set the floor. It was a small disadvantage for us because they put on a college-only free-throw line. This does not hold well when the smaller team depends on outside shooting. It also made it difficult for us at the free-throw line. Regardless, North played great basketball and they had the height advantage over us.”

Allard said despite the loss, it was an honor for him to coach kids he had never coached before. He said everyone had a great attitude and was willing to work hard.

“I enjoyed the group of kids we had,” Allard said. “They worked hard in practice and had great attitudes. They played well on every play and overall it was a great week.”

Allard said Rolseth is one of the most amazing athletes he has seen. He said he was in for a surprise on how good Rolseth is.

“We learned quickly how much of an amazing athlete Rosleth is,” Allard said. “On our first day of practice we had a student from Pinedale who was athletic and was about to go for a shot and out of nowhere, Rolseth blocked his shot. The kid from Pinedale had a shocked look that said "Who is this kid?”