Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884

Lady Bulldogs take down Panthers

The Lady Bulldogs were back in action taking on two conference teams last week. Facing off against the Wright Panthers on Valentine’s Day, the Lady Bulldogs were looking for a win.

The first quarter started out in the Bulldogs favor, taking the 11-6 lead after the first eight minutes of play. Sundance continued to add to their lead, going on a 6-0 run to start the second quarter, causing the Panthers to take a timeout.

This was not the Valentine’s Day surprise Wright was hoping to get. The timeout did not stop the Lady Bulldogs as they added four more points to the board before Wright was able to score a basket with 2:45 left to play in the half. The second quarter continued to favor the Bulldogs as they outscored the Panthers 13-2 down the stretch, taking a 24-10 lead into the break.

Switching ends on the court seemed to switch the momentum of the game as well. The Panther offense began to take charge on the floor as the Bulldog lead began to dwindle.

The Panthers would get as close as they could, closing the gap to ten points, at the end of the third quarter. The final eight minutes of play saw the Lady Bulldogs step up and find their groove.

Bailey Hofland led the charge, hitting a jumper in the lane to start the fourth quarter, followed by a nice breakaway started by Aftyn Marchant, who found Nevada Gill to add another two points to the 12-2 run that would close the game with a 42-22 conference victory for the Bulldogs.

There was no rest for the weary as Lady Bulldogs also travelled to Big Horn on Saturday for another conference game against the Lady Rams. It was a close game the whole way through. Taking the early lead, Bailey Hofland could not be stopped, scoring 11 of her 22 points for Sundance in the first quarter. The second quarter saw the Rams close the gap to one, 24-25, going into the break.

The Lady Bulldogs were able to maintain their lead throughout the third quarter, outscoring the Rams 10-9 and keeping a two-point lead. As the fourth quarter of play unfolded, the Lady Bulldogs got into some foul trouble. Sending the Lady Rams to the free throw line, they were able to convert shots and outscore the Bulldogs 14-8, making the final score 47-43 in favor of the Lady Rams.

While the Lady Bulldog’s season has been plagued with sickness and injuries, they have had some close games and Coach Joni Ellsbury is working hard in practice on being able to close the door on those close games. As the end of the season nears, she believes it is anyone’s game; no team is better than the other, which will make for a great regional and state tournament.

The Lady Bulldogs will travel to Moorcroft to face the Lady Wolves on Friday. This is a big game for the Bulldogs, as a victory will put them in a three-way tie for the top seed in the conference. The Lady Bulldogs will also close out regular season play on Saturday as they host the Hulett Red Devils.

SHS vs. Wright: 42-22

Scoring: Gill 13 (3/6 3 pt.), Ba.Hofland 10 (0/3 FT), Marchant 9 (3/4 FT),Heaster 6 (2/2 FT, 0/1 3 pt.), McInerney 2 (0/2 3 pt.), Br Hofland 2

Stat Leaders:

Rebounds: Marchant 9, Ba. Hofland 7, McInerney 6

Steals: Marchant 5

Assists: Marchant 6

SHS vs. Big Horn: 43-47

Scoring: Ba. Hofland 22 (4/6 FT), Gill 9 (3/4 3 pt.), Heaster 6 (1/2 FT, 1/2 3 pt.), Br. Hofland 4 (0/1 3 pt.), Marchant 2

Stat Leaders:

Rebounds: Marchant 6, Ba. Hofland 4

Steals: Heaster 4

Assists: Br. Hofland 3

 
 
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