Thunder Basin aims for second Wyoming state title in school’s fourth year
GILLETTE, Wyo. (BVM) — LeeAnn Cox is in her first year as head coach of the Thunder Basin Bolts, but as a teacher who’s lived in Gillette for more than two decades, she has a deep respect for the tradition of success that the town’s high school girls basketball programs have established. And now it’s her job to keep the rather new, yet successful Thunder Basin program on the right path.
“I kind of just view it as a blessing,” said Cox, who’s been a teacher at the school since it opened in the fall of 2017. “Just to be part of it since the beginning is exciting. Coach [Braidi] Lutgen had already gotten the program going in a good direction, so I feel pretty blessed.”
Campbell County High School split into two schools after the 2016-17 academic year. The following winter, Thunder Basin’s girls basketball team placed third in Class 4A in just its first season, while Campbell County went on to claim its eighth state title in 17 years under head coach Mitch Holst.
“I have to give Coach [Holst] a lot of credit because he’s the one that got basketball rolling,” Cox said.
The Bolts made history in their second year when they captured their first state title, and they had a chance to go back-to-back last season. They went 20-6 and entered the WHSAA Class 4A tournament as the No. 3 seed before COVID-19 forced the tourney to be canceled after only one game. Now Cox has taken the reins for a team that faces probably its highest expectations in four years of existence.
The Bolts were voted the No. 1 team in the state in the WyoPrep.com preseason coaches and media poll. But the high ranking hasn’t put any added pressure on Cox or her players.
“We’ve never even had the conversation,” Cox said. “I’m sure they read the same press releases that I see, but that just hasn’t been the focus. The focus is just going to each practice and trying to be better than we were at the start of that practice.”
Considering their experience, staying focused is a little easier for the Bolts than it might be for other teams. Thunder Basin has seven seniors, including leading scorer Gabby Drube (16.7 points per game), who’s committed to the University of Wyoming for track and field, and returning all-stater Sydney Solem.
“They’re very unselfish and willing to give to the next person up,” Cox said of her seven seniors. “I think we’re doing a pretty good job of focusing on each player’s strengths. … Depending on the day, it seems like there’s a different person stepping up and filling whatever role we need them to fulfill so I’m pretty proud of them at this point.”
The Bolts’ experience along with their overall speed and athleticism makes them a serious state title contender. And for the seniors who didn’t get a chance to complete their postseason run last year, this season will be their final opportunity to leave another indelible mark in Thunder Basin’s short, yet successful history.
“They think about that,” Cox said, “and then there’s concern that it could get canceled again and our approach has been that we’re just going to go one weekend at a time. I think that just like the rest of the world, there’s an appreciation for the opportunities that we have that we maybe didn’t have prior to COVID. Just being able to play, we’re pretty thankful for that. [But] they would definitely like a different finish.”
