Bulldog teams take down Panthers

SHS Lady Bulldogs

Opening up their conference play on Friday night, the Sundance Lady Bulldogs snapped their losing streak with a big win over the Wright Panthers. Starting the game with a commanding lead in the first half, the Lady Bulldogs put up 30 points to the Lady Panthers’ six.

The Bulldogs continued to dominate throughout the second half, holding the Panthers to only one point throughout the third quarter. The Lady Bulldogs went away with a 51-14 victory over Wright.

Cana McInerney led Sundance in scoring, putting up 19 points and running away with five steals for the night. Teammate Brook Hofland helped to control the boards for the Bulldogs securing seven for the night while chipping in five points. 

The Lady Bulldogs will have a busy schedule this week as they welcome the Moorcroft Wolves on Thursday to kick off the Snowcoming weekend. They will travel to Tongue River to face the Eagles on Friday and wrap up the week hosting the Lusk Tigers on Saturday. 

Bulldog Boys

The Sundance boys’ basketball team is no stranger to close games and on Friday night they were able to squeak out a victory over conference rival Wright.

It was familiar territory as the Bulldogs and Panthers opened with a game of back and forth. The two teams matched each other point for point in the opening quarters of play. The Panthers gained a slight advantage going into the half, 32-28, over the Bulldogs.

Shooting 50% from the floor for the night, the Bulldogs were able to stay in the game throughout the third quarter. As many can attest, ball games can be won or lost at the free throw line and it came down to the line in the fourth quarter on Friday night.

As the momentum of the game was shifting, Jake Schommer stepped up to the line, sunk his free throws, and helped the Bulldogs take a 60-55 victory over the Panthers.

“We had a hard-fought game against Wright,” Coach Olson commented, “Jaydan Davis had a huge game for us defensively, he had some huge plays in critical moments where he either got a steal or was able to get a deflection for his teammates to get a steal or a stop. His energy and effort on the defensive side of the court was huge for us. Jake Schommer stepped up big at the end of the game where he hit a 3 and some critical free throws to tie and extend the lead respectively. Overall, it was a great team win, the boys played with a lot of heart, and more importantly played together.”

Collectively, the Bulldogs shot 62.5% from the free throw line on Friday night. Gunner McLaughlin led the team with a double double, scoring 20 points and securing 10 rebounds.

Teammates Keaton Mills and Levi Rudloff were also in double digit scoring, adding 13 and 10 points respectively. On the defensive end it was Jaydan Davis helping to control the tempo for the Bulldogs as he ran away with six steals for the night.

There is no rest for the weary. The Sundance team will take to the floor three times this week. They will host the Moorcroft Wolves on Thursday, travel to Tongue River on Friday to face the Eagles and finish the weekend play on Saturday as they host the Lusk Tigers.

Stats

SHS Girls vs. Wright: 51-14

Scoring: McInerney 19 (5/7 FT, 2/5 3pt), Williams 8 (2/4 3pt), Skeens 5 (1/10 3pt), Br. Hofland 5 (1/2 FT, 0/2 3pt), Jones 5 (1/1 FT), Ba. Hofland 4, Marchant 4(2/2 FT), Banker 1 (1/3FT)

Rebound Leaders: Br Hofland 7, McInerney 5, Banker 5

Assists: Mcinerney 3, Marchant 2, Gillespie 2

Steals: McInerney 5, Gillespie 2, Skeens 2, Marchant 2

SHS Boys vs. Wright: 60-55

Scoring: McLaughlin 20 (1/1 FT, 1/4 3pt), Mills 13 (2/3 FT, 1/2 3pt), Rudloff 10 (4/8 FT, 0/3 3pt), Schommer 9 (2/2 FT, 1/1 3pt), Davis 8 (1/2 FT, 1/4 3pt)

Rebound Leaders: McLaughlin 10, Mills 5, Rudloff 5

Assists: Mills 5, Rudloff 3

Steals: Davis 6