Arvada-Clearmont Girls Basketball Team Preparing For 2023 1A State Tournament

The girls basketball team at Arvada-Clearmont will compete in this weekend’s 1A State Tournament, and it will be a learning experience for the entire team.

The Lady Panthers haven’t been to Casper since they lost in the state championship game in 2019, meaning the seniors on this year’s team were 8th graders back then.

A-C has a record of 10-11, and placed 3rd in last weekend’s 1A East Regional Tournament.

When Bo Benth took over as coach in 2020, he only had about 5 or 6 players and they took their lumps between then and now.

He says he credits those players for not quitting, and as the numbers of wins started to increase, that brought more players to the team.

“This year I have 10 kids on the team, and everybody’s here everyday, working hard and their pushing each other and I think the comradery that they’ve this year is probably the best that I’ve seen in the last couple of years. They’ve had a little bit more success on the court, but I think they just bonded a lot more and for whatever its worth, be it in the gym everyday and pushing each other and having a good time has just made it a great experience for everybody.”

Lady Panther Senior Kadynce French says she’s been through the good and bad and regardless as to how things go this weekend, the season will end on a good note.

“I’ve been through all the injuries, we’ve been through all the losses and it’s just something that you got to continue doing and just being able to work with these girls and Bo, it’s a lot. It helps to work through these things and always just to have faith in each other. I’m just hoping to get memories, I guess to say, because this is definitely a once in a lifetime deal, especially being a senior, so I just can’t wait for all the memories and the good times, we’re about to have.”

Arvada-Clearmont plays Burlington in the first round of the 1A Girls Basketball State Tournament on Thursday (March 2nd).

Tip-off at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper is scheduled for 4:30pm.