4 I The Lovell Chronicle [ March 7, 2013
CHRONICLE
Pardon the Lovell Bulldogs if they ....
scratch their heads when members
of the statewide media or others, ask
if they were disappointed that they
didn't meet the Wyoming Indian
Chiefs for the state title Saturday night
in Casper.
After all, the Bulldogs have certain-
ly proven themselves against the de-
fending state champions this season,
beating them three times including a
56-50 win in the regional champion- David Peck
ship game a week earlier. Observations
IEs natural for fans and media types
to want a classic matchup, but the Lusk Tigers had estab-
lished their credentials by handling the second-ranked
Chiefs 51-40 in the first round Thursday and crushing third-
ranked Big Horn 70-58 in Saturday,s semifinal. The fourth-
ranked Tigers came into the Lovell game with a 23-4 record
- no slouches they.
In fact, the 2A championship game was a classic match-
up between two teams who are perennial contenders. Lusk
won the title as recently as 2008.
This was Lovell ninth state title. The Bulldogs first won
State in 1953 - exactly 60 years ago. Do you remember the
players from that squad? (Answer below.)
The Bulldogs won this year title the way the Lady Bull-
dogs won the last two championships: with teamwork and
defense. The Bulldogs had inside-outside versatility and if
one player had an off game, another would step up.
When leading scorer Cody Savage was hampered by
foul trouble in the Burns game, Dylan Hultgren shot lights
out and scored 20 points. Ryan Clark added 16 and Kade
Nicholls 1 2. When Hultgren cooled off in the Thermopolis
game, Savage poured in 22 points, Clark 15.
In Saturday night championship game, Clark had a qui-
et night ofensively, but Savage scored 17 points and Austin
Ellis went for 10 points :and 14 rebounds. Hultgren added
12 points.
It takes a team to win a title, and though a senior-d0m-
inated squad, the Bulldogs got solid contributions off the
bench and valuable play in practice from substitutes who
don't get much credit, Coach Brian May pointed out.
Many have marveled at how the Bulldog "stars" share
the ball. Rather than relying on one-on-one moves, the Bull-
dogs pass the ball to teammates and delight in doing so.
They had 17 assists against Burns, 18 against Thermop and
13 in the lower-scoring championship game.
And defense? The Bulldogs held opponents to 39.6
points per game during the postseason, and thaEs not too
shabby. Lusk scored 70 points in the semifinal against Big
Horn but only 35 against the Bulldogs the next night.
The Bulldogs were just too big, too talented and too
physical. Saturday night finale was kind of like watching a
really good 3A team play a really good 2A team.
It is satisfying to see this team rewarded for this kind of
hard work and team play, and Cody Savage said after the
game Saturday that he felt the Bulldogs won it for all of the
other recent Lovell teams who have come close. Lovell has
won two games at State in each of the previous three years
after returning to Class 2A, beating Moorcroft for the con-
solation championship in 2010, defeating Kemmerer in the
third-place game two years ago and beating Sundance and
Wind River to advance to the title game last season, where
they fell to Wyoming Indian.
Hats off to a team well-deserving of the state crown that
they will proudly wear.
Oh, and the members of the 1953 Class A championship
team coached by Dean Larsen were Chuck Wagner, Hugh
Frame, Larry Felt, RoD Morrison, Bill Hovis, Alvin John-
son, RoD Bergslien, Ellis Brinkerhoff, Dee Cozzens and Dan
Bischoff.
There some rich basketball tradition around here, to be
sure.
BUS
Letters to the editor
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Dear Editor, Greybull/Thermopolis game and and grandparents applaud you.
We want to thank the Lovell the Greybull/Kemmerer game. Thanks from all the basket-
cheerleaders and dance group You all showed exceptional ball fans in Greybull.
for all of your support during the sportsmanship and we as parents Sherri Winkler
Dear Editor, to see a thundering herd of wild some of the prime advocates for
Promoting the wild mustangs mustangs with manes and tails the wild mustangs. Wild horse
is a good way to develop a so- flying in the wind. advocates from other states
called brand for Lovell to increase Actually, it was a small band would head to the Tillett ranch
tourist traffic in the area. This of about15, a stallion, mares and on Crooked Cr, eek, Names such
.has been sugge§ted several times a few 'foals. They were not thuD- as Hope Ryden, Bob Brislon and
before but has never been fol- dering, just grazing peacefully wild horse Annie (forgot her last
lowed through. Maybe this time it in a meadow on Pryor Mountain name) all visited the Tillett r nch
may work. just off then-called Tillett Ridge and wrote about the Pryor Moun-
I believe that great care must road. I was in the back of a pick- tain mustangs.
be taken in the marketing of the up with a cameraman. The pickup The Tillett family and all wild
wild mustangs. Why do I say was driven by my father-in-law, horse advocates had envisioned a
this? It is because I believe most Lloyd Tillett, and the passenger refuge where the wild mustangs
tourists will expect to see herds was Hope Ryden doing research could roam free and live natural-
of wild horses thundering across for one of her several books on ly as they had for several hundred
the plains as they see on televi- the wild horses. Lloyd eased the years prior, and not a government
sion western movies. Should the pickup to within 20 yards of the run operation as now is the case.
tourists see just a few wild mus- horses before they bolted and took In nature, the strong survive
tangs grazing peacefully instead off at a high run. Lloyd followed and the weak die. However, those
of thundering herds they may be with me holding on to the camera- that die are not wasted as they
disappointed and disappointment man's belt to keep him from fall- provide food for many other wild
may spread when they return ing out until the horses went over animals such as mountain lions,
home and talk about their vaca- a bluff where the pickup couldn't coyotes, bears and even birds and
tion with friends, go. If a person tried that today buzzards. Nature has survived
About 40 years ago when the they would probably be arrested, for centuries without government
wild horse refuge was in its infan- The Tillett family, Lloyd, interference.
cy stages, I had the good fortune Royce and mother Bessie, were Jim Szlemko
Dear Editor, It took eight years to get the 5 ming voters approved "term limits"
The people have spoken in percent state sales tax offfrom gro- for politicians by 70 percent of the
their rejection of the one-cent sales ceries (food). vote. We are telling the Big Horn
tax for communities' projects. We The Wyoming legislators (over COunty Fair Board we do not want
hope that promoters are listening residents' objections) have ap- to fund a new indoor complex nor
who would review this dead horse, proved a 10-cent a gallon tax on its maintenance. (EditoFs note:
The belief that rural areas gas on top of the present state and The fair project is not, nor was it
should fork over more help for'federal gas tax that we pay. Wy- being discussed as a project for the
towns is not practical. Examples: oming has had to renew schoolssixth cent.)
a woman that lives in her house that once were kept up locally. Are they listening? Communi-
in the country pays $1,900 a year These funds should now be freed ties must balance their own bud-
property tax to the county for vari- to maintain roads and responsibil- gets and solve their own financial
ous projects, ity for school buildings be assumed problems.
Once taxes are put in place, locally, instead of another tax on The people have spoken. Alegal
even if they have a limit of 13 individuals, vote should not be circumvented.
years, voters must vote to stop Politicians overturned a le- Nora Marie Lewis
them or they continue, gal vote of the people when Wyo- Basin
They may be
The LoveU Chronicle welcomes letters f:'om its readers and will make every effOr't to p:'int them.
Letters longer than 400 words may not be printed. Letters must be signed and include the address and telephone number of the write:'.
Unsigned letter's will be discarded. Writers a"e limited to two letters in any 30 day period.
All lette','s must conform to the law of libel and be in good taste.
mailed to The Lovell Chronicle, Box 787, Lovell, WY 82431, or delivered to our office at 234 E. Main St., Lovell. A strict 1:00 p.m. Tuesday deadline will be enforced.
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David Peck, Editor and Publisher
Editor ................................................................................. David Peck
Reporter ......................................................................... Patti Carpenter
Office Manager ........................................................... Gladys McNeil
Production Manager ........................................................... Pat Parmer
Advertising Manager .............................. : ....... . ......... Stormy Jameson
Staff ................................................. Dorothy Nelson, Marwyn Layne
Jason Zeller, Teressa Ennis, Cheryl Jolley, John Lafko
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