Bulldog boys kick off season at Upton

The Sundance boys’ basketball team kicked off their 2019-2020 season at the Upton Invitational. The opening round put the Bulldogs against the Panthers of Arvada-Clearmont.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick lead and didn’t let up. Kye Taylor led the Bulldogs in scoring with 12 points followed closely by Jayden Davis who contributed 11 points in the 56-38 Sundance victory.

With a win in game one, the Bulldogs moved on to face the Tongue River Eagles for game two of the Invitational. Building on their momentum from game one, Sundance was off and running with a 44-16 lead at the half.

While the Eagles struggled to buy a basket, Landon Martin, Gunner McLaughlin and Lane Gill had no trouble scoring in double digits for the Bulldogs. The second half continued much like the first as the Bulldogs controlled not only the scoring but also the rebounding for the game, pulling down a team total of 33. In the end, the Bulldogs walked away with a 65-36 win over the Eagles and a chance at the championship game.

The Bulldogs faced a familiar opponent for the championship game in the Upton Bobcats. While they are teammates on the field, they became fierce opponents on the court.

It was a tight back and forth for the first two quarters of play as the Bobcats and Bulldogs traded the lead with the Bobcats sinking threes and the Bulldogs making free throws. At the half, the Bobcats were up by one, 25-24.

Upton then came out in the third quarter on fire, erupting for 24 points in an otherwise defensive struggle, the most significant damage being done from behind the three-point line, sinking four threes. While the Bulldogs maintained their steady play, the third quarter deficit proved to be too much for them to overcome and they fell to the Bobcats 52-67, taking second place in the Upton Invitational.

The Sundance Bulldogs will be back on the court on December 19 as they host the Newcastle Dogies in the opening game of the Stateline Shootout. Sundance will then travel to Newcastle to play against Lead-Deadwood and Belle Fourche on December 20 and 21.

Stats:

Sundance vs. Arvada Clearmont 56-38

Scoring: Taylor 12, Davis 11 (1/2 FT) , Harmon 6, L. RUdloff 6, Kemmerer 4 (1/2FT), Martin 2, Chandler 2, Gill 2, McLaughlin 2, Gillespie 2, Tenke 2, Smith 2, Fleenor 2

Sundance vs. Tongue River 65-36

Scoring: Gill 22 (2/2 FT, 2/3 -3PT), McLaughlin 11 (3/6 FT), Martin 11 (3/6 FT), Taylor 7, Davis 4, Kammerer 2 (2/5 FT), Kruger 2, Chandler 2, J. Rudloff 2 (0/1 FT), Gillespie 2

Stat Leaders:

Rebounds: Chandler 8, Gill 7, J. Rudloff 5

Steals: Kruger 3, Gill 3, Gillespie 3

Assists: Taylor 7,

Sundance vs. Upton 52-67

Scoring: Taylor 18 (5/6 FT, 1/8 3pt) , McLaughlin 9 (3/6 FT), Kruger 8(3/7 FT, 1/3 3pt), Martin 6, J. Rudloff 4 (1/4 FT), Gill 4 (2/6 FT)

Stat Leaders

Rebounds: Kruger 12, McLaughlin 8, Martin 7, Gill 7

Steals: Taylor 2, Gill 2

Assists: Taylor 3, Martin 3