Bulldog teams bring home third place state finishes

SHS Boys

The Sundance boys’ basketball team traveled to Casper this past weekend to compete in the 2A state basketball tournament. Up against some stiff competition, the Bulldogs were able to walk away with a third-place finish.

The opening round of the tournament placed the number one seeded team from the east, the Sundance Bulldogs, up against the number four seeded team from the west, the Greybull Buffaloes. In their first meeting of the season, both teams took a quarter to feel each other out.

Keeping the score close, the Bulldogs held a slight lead, 17-13 at the end of the first quarter. Throughout the next two quarters the Bulldog defense began to fuel their offense as they built a commanding lead.

Holding the Buffalos to only six points throughout the second and third quarters, the Bulldogs were up 43-19 with only one quarter of play remaining. Although the Buffaloes mounted a slight comeback throughout the fourth, the Bulldogs had already cemented the 55-36 victory. Brad Kruger led the Bulldogs in scoring for the game, putting in 14 points while fellow teammate Landon Martin controlled the boards, pulling in seven rebounds for the game.

The win over Greybull moved the Bulldogs into the semifinal round that evening, where they faced the number two team from the west, the Big Piney Punchers. The Bulldogs and Punchers were two evenly matched teams, exchanging point for point throughout the first quarter, which ended with a score of 12-12.

The Punchers gained a slight advantage over the next eight minutes and took a 23-18 lead into the half. As the second half unrolled the Bulldogs were back, exchanging basket for basket through the third.

Three Bulldogs found their way into double digits for the night. Senior Lane Gill led the way for the Bulldogs with 17 points, followed closely by teammate Landon Martin who contributed 15 and big man Gunner McLaughlin who put in 11.

Still down by five (40-35) however, going into the final quarter of play, the Bulldogs would not back down. Outscoring the Punchers 24-19 down the stretch, the Bulldogs tied the score at 49 as the final seconds ticked away, sending the semi-final game into overtime.

With an extra four minutes on the clock, the Bulldogs and Punchers were both hoping for victory. As both teams pushed the other to the max, it was the Punchers who walked away with the 64-61 overtime victory. 

The last game of the season put the Bulldogs up against the Pine Bluffs Hornets on Saturday as the two teams played for third place in the 2A state tournament. With a fresh set of legs, the Bulldogs were back in business jumping out to a 32-19 lead in the first half of play.

The Hornets struggled against the excellent team effort of the Bulldogs. Four Bulldogs made their way into double digit scoring throughout the game, as Gunner McLaughlin led the way with 20 points for the game. The Bulldogs only increased their lead throughout the second half of the game taking a 65-37 victory and a third-place finish in the 2A state tournament. 

Head coach Nick Olson had the following remarks on the 2020-2021 season: “We had a lot of fun this year, with a great group of boys. The eight seniors have been tremendous leaders and have pushed our program into a new level of success. We had some great success at the state tournament. In the first round we had Jesse Harmon and Isaiah Kammerer come off the bench and make a huge difference for us to push us over the edge and get the win.

“We had a heart-breaking semi-final round and lost in overtime to Big Piney, but bounced back on Saturday and played a great third place game and were able to get a win.

“I can’t say enough about the quality of boys we have on this team, not only in basketball skill but in leadership and just genuinely being good people. They put in hours in the gym in order to get to where they are. I am very proud of what they have been able to accomplish this year, and for the seniors over the past four years.”

The Sundance Bulldogs closed their season with a 21-2 overall record and a third-place finish in the state tournament. 

Lady Bulldogs

The Sundance Lady Bulldogs made their way to Casper to compete in the 2A state basketball tournament this past week. Going up against some tough teams from the west, the Lady Bulldogs returned home with a third-place finish overall.

Opening round of play at the state tournament put the number two seeded team from the east, the Sundance Bulldogs up against the number three seeded team from the west, the Shoshoni Lady Blue. Jumping out to a slight lead in the first quarter of play, the Lady Bulldogs found themselves up by three, 11-8.

Throughout the second quarter, the two teams exchanged basket for basket as the Lady Blue closed the gap to one, 17-18, going into the half. The Lady Blue continued to build on their momentum from the first half and took a 29-25 lead throughout the third quarter.

As the final eight minutes of play began to tick away however, the Lady Bulldogs began to mount their comeback, keeping the second half of play close. With nine lead changes and seven ties throughout the game, both teams were determined to move on to the semi-final game.

The fourth quarter began to wind down and the Lady Bulldogs took their time to find the open shot and draw the foul. Patience and persistence paid off for the Lady Bulldogs as they tied the score at 37 and sent the game into overtime.

The Lady Bulldogs continued to work a patient offense throughout the extra four minutes of play. Working the ball around and finding the open girl pressured the Shoshoni defense to foul the Lady Bulldogs, which in turn sent them to the free throw line. Shooting 67% from the free throw line, the Lady Bulldogs were able to secure their 47-40 first round victory over the Shoshoni Lady Blue. 

The Lady Bulldogs moved on to compete in the semi-final game later that night. Going up against the reigning state champions, the Wyoming Indian Lady Chiefs, the Lady Bulldogs knew it was going to be another tight game.

A slow start for the Lady Bulldogs put them down 8-15 after one quarter of play, however the momentum began to shift in their favor throughout the second and third quarter. Down only by two, 32-34 as the fourth quarter began, the Lady Bulldogs were still in the game. Unfortunately the Lady Chiefs outscored the Lady Bulldogs 12-6 throughout the fourth quarter and took the 46-38 victory. 

The Lady Bulldogs went on to compete for third place on Saturday morning as they took on the Lusk Tigers in another close game. It was the Tigers who jumped out to the quick 13-7 lead after the first quarter of play, but the Lady Bulldogs once again found their momentum throughout the second and third quarters as three players found their way into double digit scoring.

Cana McInerney led the way with 11 points followed by teammates Bailey Hofland and Nevada Gill who each contributed 10 as the Lady Bulldogs regained the lead and secured a 46-41 victory and a third-place finish in the 2A state basketball tournament. 

Head coach Randi Faeth had the following comments on the 2020-2021 season:

“It was a fantastic finish to a great season. We kept getting better every week. Hard work, putting the team first, and maintaining a strong desire to win helps achieve lofty goals!

“Thank you to the players, parents, and fans for all their support.

“To the seniors, your leadership was awesome. You will be greatly missed by all. You brought much joy to all associated with the community.

“To the underclassmen, we hope this experience motivates you to work hard and put in the necessary time and effort to achieve the level of success our senior girl and boy athletes experienced during their high school playing days. It is not an easy road, but the final results can be very rewarding!”

The Lady Bulldogs finished their season with a 14-9 overall record and a third-place finish at the 2A state basketball tournament. 

Stats from the games:

SHS Boys vs. Greybull 55-36

Scoring: Kruger 14 (5/5 FT, 1/2 3 pt.), McLaughlin 9 (1/2 3 pt.), Gill 9 (2/2 FT, 1/5 3 pt.), Gillespie 8 (1/2 FT, 1/2 3 pt.), Harmon 4 (2/2 FT, 0/1 3 pt.), Rudloff 3 (1/2 3 pt.), Martin 3 (1/2 3 pt.), Kammerer 2

Rebound Leaders: Martin 7, Gillespie 5

Assist Leaders: Martin 3

Steal Leaders: Kruger 4, Gill 4

SHS Boys vs. Big Piney 61-64 OT

Scoring: Gill 17 (3/3 FT, 2/7 3 pt.), Martin 15 (2/5 FT, 1/5 3 pt.), McLaughlin 11 (7/11 FT, 0/2 3 pt.), Gillespie 9 2/2 FT, 1/1 3 pt.), Kruger 8 1/1 FT, 1/6 3 pt.), Rudloff 1 (1/2 FT, 0/3 3 pt.)

Rebound Leaders: McLaughlin 8, Gillespie 7

Assist Leaders: Kruger 3

Steal Leaders: Kruger 6, Martin 4

SHS Boys vs. Pine Bluffs 65-37

Scoring: McLaughlin 20 (2/2 FT, 1/2 3 pt.), Gill 15 (2/3 FT, 3/6 3 pt.), Kruger 12 (2/3 3 pt.), Martin 10 2/2 FT, 2/3 3 pt.), Gillespie 2 (0/1 3 pt.), Davis 2, Rudloff 2 (0/2 3 pt.), Kammerer 2 (2/2 FT)

Rebound Leaders: Gill 8, McLaughlin 5, Rudloff 5, Martin 5

Assis Leaders: Rudloff 3

Steal Leaders: Martin 3, Kruger 2 

SHS Girls vs. Shoshoni: 47-40 OT

Scoring: Heaster 12 (4/5 FT, 0/1 3 pt.), Negaard 11 (5/8 FT 0/1 3 pt.), A. Marchant 8 (5/7 FT, 1/3 3 pt.), McInerney 7 (1/1 FT, 2/2 3 pt.), Ba. Hofland 6 (0/1 FT), Gill 2 (0/7 3 pt.), Skeens 1 (1/2 FT)

Rebound Leaders: McInerney 8, Heaster 5

Assist Leaders: McInerney 3

Steal Leaders: Negaard 3, McInerney 2

SHS Girls vs. Wyoming Indian 38-46

Scoring: Negaard 10 (0/4 3 pt.), A. Marchant 8 (2/4 3 pt.), Heaster 8 (2/4 3 pt.), Ba. Hofland 7 (1/3 FT), Skeens 4 (2/3 FT), Br. Hofland 1 (1/2 FT)

Rebound Leaders: Negaard 11, McInerney 6

Assist Leaders: McInerney 2, Gill 2

Steal Leaders: Heaster 3, McInerney 3

SHS Girls vs. Lusk 46-41

Scoring: McInerney 11 (1/2 FT, 2/3 3 pt.), Ba. Hofland 10, Gill 10 (1/5 FT, 3/8 3 pt.), Negaard 9 (3/4 FT, 0/1 3 pt.), A. Marchant 3 (1/1 FT, 0/1 3 pt.), Skeens 2 (2/6 FT), Heaster 1 (1/2 FT, 0/2 3 pt.)

Rebound Leaders: McInerney 8, Negaard 7, Heaster 7, Ba. Hofland 7

Assist Leaders: Heaster 1

Steal Leaders: Negaard 5, Heaster 5