Bulldogs face tough opponents

Bulldog Boys

The Sundance boys’ basketball team had a light week this past week, playing only one game on Friday, as they hosted the Eagles from Tongue River. The Bulldogs opened up the match with an intense half of basketball.

The first quarter of play found the Bulldogs and Eagles evenly matched, ending the quarter in the Eagles favor 13-12. The Bulldogs were able to pick up the tempo in quarter two starting out with an 8-0 run.

Tongue River called a timeout with the score 18-26 in hopes of slowing the Bulldogs offensive attack, but the teamwork on the floor could not be matched. While the Eagles got a few good looks at the basket, their shots would not fall.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, had great ball movement down the floor to make the big plays. Landon Martin led the charge down the floor with four assists and steals throughout the night as the Bulldogs took the 32-18 lead into the half.

The second half continued to build from the first as the Sundance team became more efficient in pulling down rebounds and pushing the ball up the floor. There were three players scoring in double digits, for the Bulldogs throughout the night.

Kye Taylor led the way with 25 points, followed by Landon Martin and Gunner McLaughlin who each added 12 points to the team total. Sundance shot 58% for the night with an impressive 70% on their two-point shots in the 70-51 victory.

With one trip through the conference teams, the Sundance Bulldogs are currently sitting second in the Northeast with a 14-3 overall record and 2-1 in the conference. The Bulldogs will play two conference games this week as they host the 1-18 overall, 0-3 in the conference, Wright Panthers on Friday, February 14.

They will travel to Big Horn on Saturday in hopes of evening the conference record as they take on the 11-6 overall, 3-0 in the conference, Rams.

Lady Bulldogs

The Lady Bulldogs had two games this week. Braving the weather on Monday, the travelled to Newell to face the Irrigators. Finding themselves down by 10 (16-26) at the half, the Bulldogs rallied in the third quarter to outscore the Irrigators 12-5 and close the gap to three, 28-31 going into the final eight minutes of play.

The offense for both teams slowed to a halt in the fourth quarter as they shot a combined 22 free throws in those final eight minutes of play. As the Lady Bulldogs stepped up to the line, they were able to shoot 5/10 from the line while the Irrigators went 7/12 in the fourth quarter and took the 49-36 win over the Bulldogs.

On Friday, the Sundance girls hosted the Tongue River Eagles. Opening the game on a 7-0 run, the Eagles would not allow the Bulldogs to take the lead.

It was halfway through the first quarter before Sundance would get on the board with a made free throw from Bailey Hofland. From there, the Bulldogs struggled not only with getting their shots to fall, but also with the full court pressure put on by the Eagles.

With 1:46 left to play in the first half, Sundance called a timeout to talk press breakers. This timeout was just what the Bulldogs needed, as they went on a 5-0 run to close the first half of play, 11-24.

After the halftime break the Bulldogs seemed to have their offensive strategy down as Bailey Hofland kept the drive from the second quarter alive adding four more points to the board for the Bulldogs. The Eagles, in turn, struggled to get their baskets to fall. Scoring just four points in the 3rd quarter, the Tongue River saw their lead dwindle to just six points 28-22 with eight minutes left to play.

For the second night, free throws were the name of the game in the fourth quarter. As the Bulldogs continued to slowly chip away at Tongue River’s lead, outscoring them 12-4 from the field, the free throw line was the deciding factor in the game.

Both teams found themselves stepping up to the line on multiple occasions. While not spectacular, the Eagles went 5/10 down the stretch and the Bulldogs were 0/4, ultimately being the difference in the game as the Eagles took the 37-34 victory.

The Lady Bulldogs look to solidify their second place standing in the Northeast Conference with a 6-11 overall and 2-1 conference record when they take on the Wright Panthers at home on Friday and travel to Big Horn to face the Rams on Saturday.

Stats from the games:

SHS Boys vs. Tongue River 70-51

Scoring: Taylor 25 (2/4 FT, 3/6 3pt.), Martin 12 (4/4FT), McLaughlin 12 (2/4 FT), Gillespie 7(1/2 FT), Kruger 6 (0/3 FT, 2/4 3pt.), Chandler 4, Gill 4

Stat Leaders:

Rebounds: Gill 8, Taylor 6, Chandler 5

Assists: Martin 4, Gill 3, Kurger 3

Steals: Martin 4, McLaughlin 3

SHS Girls vs. Newell 36-49

Scoring: Ba. Hofland 10 (2/4 FT), McInerney 9 (3/4 FT), Heaster 8 (4/8 FT), Gill 5 (1/3 FT), Pollat 4, Skeens (0/2 FT)

Stat Leaders:

Rebounds: Heaster 7, McInerney 4, Skeens 4

Assists: Marchant 3

Steals: Heaster 5

SHS Girls vs. Tongue River 34-37

Scoring: Ba. Hofland 11 (1/4 FT), Gill 9 (1/2 FT, 2/6 3 pt.), Marchant 4, Heaster 4 (0/2 FT), McInerney 4 (0/2 FT), Br. Hofland 2 (0/4 FT)

Stat Leaders:

Rebounds: McInerney 11, Marchant 7, Ba. Hofland 6, Br. Hofland 5, Heaster 5

Assists: McInerney 5

Steals: Heaster 5, McInerney 3