Lady Bulldogs beat Eagles in OT

It was another game that went down to the wire on Saturday afternoon in Dayton, Wyoming, as the Sundance Lady Bulldogs defeated the Tongue River Eagles in double overtime and took over the top spot in the conference standings, with a 3-0 conference record.

Opening play a little shy, the first quarter did not fare well for the Lady Bulldogs, who found themselves down by six. An excellent second quarter, however, changed the momentum for Sundance. Outscoring the Eagles 20-4, Sundance was able to overcome their initial deficit and take a 26-16 lead into the locker room at halftime.

It was a different story for the Sundance team as the second half began and the scoring slowed to only three points. The Eagles, on the other hand, put up another 14 points and took over the lead once more.

Going into the final quarter of play, Tongue River held the slight 30-29 advantage. Throughout the fourth quarter both teams came alive, finding their way to the hoop and coming up with big defensive stops.

As the final minutes ticked away the Lady Bulldogs held the lead, but the Lady Eagles held the final possession and were able to tie the score at 44 as time ran out. 

Going into the first overtime, the teams continued to trade baskets; this time, however, it was from behind the free throw line. Taking turns sending each other to the line, the teams once again found themselves tied at 48 as time expired. 

The second overtime would once again focus on free throws. Bulldog Zoe Skeens sank four free throws down the stretch to help make the second overtime a two-possession game in favor of the Bulldogs.

Shortly thereafter, Skeens would come up with a big steal to seal the fate and help the Bulldogs take a 56-50 victory, handing the Tongue River Eagles their first conference loss of the season. 

There will be no rest for the weary as the Sundance Lady Bulldogs will have two more conference games this week as well as a non-conference competition. The heavy week of competition will begin on Tuesday night as the Bulldogs host the Upton Bobcats in a non-conference matchup.

On Friday, they will travel to Big Horn to face the Rams and Saturday they will host the Wright Panthers. Tip off against Wright is scheduled for 12:30 with half of a JV girls game, followed by JV boys at 1:30, varsity girls at 3 and varsity boys are slated for 4:30 p.m.

SHS Boys

It was another tough loss for the Bulldog boys as they went up against the solid defensive team, the Tongue River Eagles, on Saturday evening.

The Eagles started the game in an aggressive full court press, rattling the young Sundance team and allowing the Eagles to put points on the board quickly. Finding themselves down 23-47 the Bulldogs began to focus on the little things to better prepare themselves for future competitions.

"We're starting to come along defensively as a team and finding our identity, which is nice to see," Coach Olson commented.

The Bulldog offense began to find their way to the hoop throughout the second half of play. Jake Schommer was the leading scorer for the Sundance team, putting up 24 points for the night, 16 of which came from behind the three-point arc. Keaton Mills returned from injury and contributed 14 points for the night.

Despite the offensive movement throughout the second half, the Bulldogs were unable to overcome the defensive prowess of the Tongue River Eagles and fell 58-80. 

With this loss, the Bulldogs moved to 0-4 in the conference. There will be no time to dwell on the loss as the Sundance team is busy preparing for another busy week.

"I'm excited to see how we compete throughout another busy week," Olson stated. The Upton Bobcats will be in town on Tuesday night to face the Bulldogs in a non-conference matchup. Then on Friday the Bulldogs will travel to Big Horn to take on the Rams and on Saturday they boys will host the Wright Panthers.

Stats

SHS Girls vs. Tongue River: 56-50 (2OT)

Scoring: Williams 17 (2/5 FT, 3/9 3pt), Mills 15 (4/9FT, 1/3 3pt), Skeens 9 (4/7 FT, 1/5 3pt), L.Marchant 9 (1/3 FT), Gillespie 4 (0/1 3pt), Banker 2 (2/2FT)

Rebound Leaders: Mills 13, Skeens 7, L.Marchant 6

Steals: Skeens 5

SHS Boys vs. Tongue River: 58-80

Scoring: Schommer 24 (2/5 FT, 4/8 3pt), Mills 14 (3/4 FT, 1/3 3pt), E.Gill 8 (2/3 FT), Harmon 6 (2/5 FT, 0/1 3pt), Skeens 4(0/1 3pt), Tenke 2 (0/2 3pt)

Rebound Leaders: Schommer 8, Mills 6

Assists: Tenke 4, Schommer 4

Steals: E.Gill 2, Mills 2

Blocks: Mills 2, D.Gill 1