Boys continue winning streak

The Bulldogs kept their win streak alive, adding two more conference wins to their record this past week. On Friday night, the Sundance Bulldogs invited the Wright Panthers to be their Valentine for the Pink Out game.

Sundance went on a 10-0 run in the first four minutes of play before Wright decided to take a timeout in hopes of slowing down the momentum. Unfortunately, the break in play only allowed the Bulldogs to add fresh legs to the floor and continue to increase their lead, 25-0, as the first quarter came to a close.

Sundance became more meticulous in their play throughout the second quarter working on their offense and taking a full two minutes off the clock before Kye Taylor would drove down the lane, drawing a foul. Taylor sank both his free throws and continued to add to the Sundance run from the first quarter.

The Panthers continued to struggle with their offense through the second quarter, getting looks at the basket, but not getting anything to fall. The first Panther points came with 1:45 left to play as Brandon Joubert found his way to the basket for an easy layup.

Shortly thereafter Hayden Vrooman was sent to the line and sank a pair of free throws, giving the Panthers four points, to the Bulldogs 32, as the teams went into the break.

The Bulldogs and Panthers came out in stride to start the second half, matching basket for basket for the first four minutes of play. With 3:53 left to play in the third, Craig Chandler sank a three-pointer and started another Bulldog run to take them into the fourth. The Panthers were faced with a running clock and little hope of matching the efficient and effective Bulldog offense in the final quarter of play. The Sundance Bulldogs walked away with the 71-30 conference victory.

The Sundance Bulldogs travelled to Big Horn on Saturday to face the Rams, an always-fierce conference rival. Having lost to the Rams by 17 in the first meeting, the Bulldogs were looking for another chance at claiming a victory.

As the first half of play unfolded, both teams found themselves struggling to get their shots to fall. The Bulldogs were happy to have the five-point lead (21-16) as halftime rolled around.

The third quarter slump hit both the Bulldogs and the Rams hard. While neither team was adding many points to the board, Bulldog Gunner McLaughlin wasn’t letting the Rams have any second chance shots either.

Pulling down ten defensive rebounds for the night, McLaughlin was a force to be reckoned with. The Bulldogs were able to string together some runs and add points to the board in the fourth quarter as they took the 40-28 conference victory.

The Bulldogs are nearing the end of conference play, as well as the season. Coach Nick Olson believes it has been a great year watching the kids grow. He believes they have really stepped up defensively this year, holding teams to a low scoring game.

The final conference game will take place on Friday at Moorcroft. With a win, the Bulldogs will be in a tie for first place with Big Horn. The tie breaker would first come down to common opponents, where the Bulldogs and Rams are again tied, it will then go to a coin flip to see who will be the first place seed in the regional tournament. The Bulldogs will close out regular season play on Saturday with a home game against the Hulett Red Devils.

SHS vs. Wright: 71-30

Scoring: Gill 16 (2/2 FT, 0/1 3 pt.), Gillespie 11 (3/5 FT), Martin 10, Kruger 7 (1/2 FT, 0/2 3 pt.), Taylor 6 (1/2 FT, 1/3 3 pt.), J. Rudloff 5 (1/2 FT, 0/1 3 pt.), Davis 5 (2/2 FT, 1/1 3 pt.) McLaughlin 4, Chandler 3 (1/2 3 pt.), L. Rudloff 3 (1/2 3 pt.), Kammerer 1 (1/3 FT)

Stat leaders:

Rebounds: Gill 6, Gillespie 5, Kruger 4

Steals: Gill 5

Assists: Taylor 4, Martin 4

SHS vs. Big Horn: 40-28

Scoring: Gill 12 (3/5 FT, 1/4 3 pt.), Taylor 9 (3/5 FT, 0/3 3 pt.), Martin 5 (3/4 FT, 0/1 3 pt.), Chandler 5 (1/2 3 pt.), Gillespie 4 (4/4 FT), McLaughlin 3 (3/4 FT), Kruger 2

Stat Leaders:

Rebounds: McLaughlin 10, Taylor 6, Martin 5

Steals: Kruger 2

Assists: Gill 3