Girls notch pair of conference victories

SHS Girls

As the season begins to wind down, the Sundance girls’ basketball team hit the road for round two of conference play against the Tongue River Eagles and Big Horn Rams.

Traveling north on Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs were once again facing the Eagles. Looking to get the same results as the previous week, the Lady Bulldogs opened up the first half with a 14-7 lead.

The second half found the Eagles slowly chipping away at the Bulldog lead. But the Bulldogs were able to hold on to gain another conference win over the Eagles, 28-24.

Saturday morning brought not only cold weather but also another trip to the north when the Lady Bulldogs travelled to take on the Big Horn Rams. It was another close game for Sundance.

With the score tied at 13 going into halftime, the Lady Bulldogs needed to put some points on the board in the second half. Going on a 10-2 run throughout the third quarter the Bulldogs started to pull away and were able to maintain their lead throughout the fourth, taking a 38-26 victory.

With two more conference wins the Bulldogs up their record to 5-1 in the conference and 8-6 overall. The Lady Bulldogs will continue conference play this weekend travelling to Wright on Thursday and Moorcroft on Friday. Sundance will also travel to Hulett on Saturday as they face off against the intra-county rival Lady Red Devils. 

SHS Boys

Sundance netted two more conference wins this past week over the Tongue River Eagles and Big Horn Rams. 

The Bulldogs and Eagles started off fairly even throughout the first quarter on Tuesday night as Sundance held a narrow 16-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Eagles came out in the second quarter using their home court advantage to outscore the Bulldogs 21-10 and the Bulldogs found themselves in unfamiliar territory, trailing the Eagles 26-36 at the half.

The second half, however, fared well for the Bulldogs as they came out firing on all cylinders. Shooting 60% for the night, they were able to erase the halftime deficit and out-score the Eagles by 15 to take a five-point lead, 54-49 going into the fourth.

The hot hands continued for the Bulldogs as the fourth quarter played out and four Bulldogs found their way into double digit scoring. Brad Kruger and Lane Gill led the way with 21 and 20 points respectively, followed closely by Landon Martin and Gunner McLaughlin. In the end, the Bulldogs walked away with a 16-point victory and upped their record to 5-0 in the conference.

Saturday evening the Bulldogs returned to the area to face the Big Horn Rams. It was a slow start for the fast-paced Bulldogs as they found themselves down by two after one quarter of play.

Another close quarter of play brought the Bulldogs a one-point lead, 22-21, going into the half. Second half adjustments were once again the key to a Bulldog victory.

Controlling the defensive boards stopped the second chance opportunities for the Rams and allowed the Bulldogs to come away with the 55-39 victory. Lane Gill led the rebounding effort for the Bulldogs, pulling in 10 rebounds for the night followed closely by teammates Landon Martin and Gunner McLaughlin who each had eight in the victory. 

With these wins, the Bulldogs are now 6-0 in the conference with two conference games remaining in the regular season. The Bulldogs will end their conference play this week as they travel to Wright and Moorcroft on Thursday and Friday. They will also play a non-conference intra-county foe, Hulett, on Saturday to conclude the season. 

Stats from the games:

SHS Girls vs. Tongue River: 28-24

Scoring: Negaard 9 (1/6 3 pt.), Heaster 7 (1/1 3pt), Gill 5 (1/3 3 pt.), Ba. Hofland 4, A. Marchant 2 (0/1 FT, 0/1 3 pt.), McInerney 1 (1/2 FT, 0/1 3 pt.)

Rebound Leaders: Ba. Hofland 5, Heaster 4, McInerney 3, 

Assist Leader: McInerney 2

Steal Leader: McInerney 5

SHS Girls vs. Big Horn: 38-26

Scoring: Negaard 9 (2/2 FT, 1/3 3 pt.), Ba. Hofland 8 (2/4 FT), McInerney 7 (1/2 FT, 2/3 3 pt.), A. Marchant 6 (2/4 FT), Gill 4 (4/4 FT), Heaster 2 (0/2 3 pt.), Skeens 2

Rebound Leaders: Negaard 5, McInerney 4, Ba. Hofland 4

Steal Leader A. Marchant 5

SHS Boys vs. Tongue River: 77-61

Scoring: Kruger 21 (6/10 FT, 3/5 3 pt.), Gill 20 (2/3 FT, 4/6 3 pt.), Martin 15 (7/9 FT, 3/5 3 pt.), McLaughlin 13 (1/2 FT, 2/2 3 pt.), Rudloff 8 (3/4 FT, 1/1 3 pt.)

Rebound Leaders: McLaughlin 4

Steal Leaders: Gill 6, McLaughlin 4

Assist Leaders: Rudloff 4, Gill 4

SHS Boys vs. Big Horn: 55-39

Scoring: Kruger 14 (4/5 3 pt.), McLaughlin 13 (2/4 FT, 1/3 3 pt.), Gill 11 (1/2 FT, 0/3 3 pt.), Rudloff 7 (3/4 FT), Martin 6 (0/3 3 pt.), Gillespie 4

Rebound Leaders: Gill 10, McLaughlin 8, Martin 8

Steal Leaders: Gill 3, Rudloff 3

Assist Leaders: Kruger 5, Gill 4