The Thunderbirds boys basketball team kicked off the season with high expectations and plenty of recognition, but, after a wild season of ups and downs, no one team seemed to want to take control of the state.

With six seniors, East looked like the early favorite, but big wins and surprising upsets ruled the 2015 season.

The Thunderbirds kicked off the season against a very talented Scottsbluff team. In a game that was a battle from start to finish, the T-Birds found themselves on the losing end, 74-69.

The Scottsbluff loss seemed just what the team needed as they then went on a seven-game winning streak, starting with an impressive win against the Rock Springs Tigers, 77-48. During that seven game stretch, the T-Birds beat teams from across Wyoming and one team out of Fort Collins, Colorado.

In mid-January, East suffered a one-point loss to Natrona, 51-50, and then found themselves with a chance to redeem themselves against the Scottsbluff. East showed off with a 75-69 defeat of the Bearcats.

The Thunderbirds then suffered one of the biggest defeats of the year, losing to long-time rival, Central High School, 48-38. In a game that seemed like no one wanted to score, the T-Birds were held to their lowest point total of the year.

East then went on a three-game winning streak in late January, including wins over highly-ranked Sheridan and Gillette.

Just when things seemed that they might be going right, East suffered through another three losses, including a 61-45 win by Laramie, a 60-54 loss to Sheridan, and a 60-48 defeat at the hands of Gillette.

In the spirit of a crazy season, the T-Birds then battled their way to a 41-39 overtime win against the Central Indians.

“I thought their energy and effort was outstanding,” said Coach Jeff Bailey, discussing his Thunderbirds’ performance against the Indians.

The Thunderbirds split their final two games, losing to South, 60-56, and beating Laramie, 59-48.

The Thunderbirds then headed into Regionals starting off with a revenge against South, winning 53-46, but then lost to Gillette, 69-42, the next day. On the final day of regionals, the Thunderbirds once again faced off with the Central and won, 53-39.

The story of strange twists and turns continued for the Thunderbirds at the 4A State Basketball Tournament.

The T-Birds entered the tournament as the #3-seed from the east and faced off against the west’s #2-seed, Riverton.

The T-Birds struggled with shooting throughout the state tournament, as well as a bout of sickness, first losing to the Wolverines, 54-47, and then the Evanston Red Devils, 56-46, in the consolation bracket.

The Thunderbirds finished the season at 15-10.