Lady Bulldogs take third at state

The Sundance Lady Bulldogs left Sundance with an escort last weekend as they headed to Casper College to participate in the Class 2A State Basketball Tournament. Going into the tournament as the number two seed from the east, the Lady Bulldogs were pitted against the number three seed from the west, the Kemmerer Rangers, in their opening round of play. 

With a big change in scenery, both teams took the first quarters to get a feel for each other and the floor they were playing on. The Rangers held a two-point lead going into halftime, but the Lady Bulldogs were just getting warmed up.

Coming out the second half on fire, the Sundance Lady Bulldogs took the lead and didn't look back. Jaylin Mills and Zoe Skeens led the charge for the Bulldogs, putting up 14 and 10 points respectively, as the team would go on to win 38-28 over the Kemmerer Rangers and move on to the semifinal round in the state tournament. 

The semifinal round pitted the Lady Bulldogs against the Burns Broncs. These two teams missed playing each other in the regional tournament, but were ready to face off at state.

Opening up play, the Broncs took the early lead, 18-10, throughout the first quarter of play. A scoreless second quarter did not deter the Bulldogs as their stellar defense held the Broncs to only two points.

Coming out of the halftime break, the Lady Bulldogs once again had the hot hand, out-scoring the Broncs 14-6. Going into the fourth quarter down by two, 24-26, the Bulldogs were within reach.

Unfortunately, the Sundance team suffered a slight scoring drought down the stretch which allowed the Broncs to take a 39-32 victory on Friday afternoon, sending the Lady Bulldogs to play in the third/fourth place game.

Saturday morning the Sundance Lady Bulldogs were up against a very familiar conference foe for third place, the Tongue River Eagles. Having met each other multiple times throughout the regular season, the teams knew what to expect from each other and gave the fans another exciting game.

The Eagles took the initial lead after two quarters of play, 26-20, but the Bulldogs were determined. A low-scoring third quarter for both teams made for a fantastic finish in the fourth as the Lady Bulldogs overcame their deficit to tie the game as time ran out, sending the teams into overtime.

Entering the extra minutes of play, the Lady Bulldogs gained control of the scoreboard and brought home the 2A third place trophy, defeating the Tongue River Eagles once again, with a 68-62 final score. 

The Lady Bulldogs shot an astounding 47 free throws throughout the game, making 24. Jaylin Mills led the team at the line, going 10 for 16 throughout the night, adding to her 22-point total. Teammates Zoe Skeens and Lexie Marchant also made their way into double digit scoring, putting up 13 and 12 points respectively. 

The Sundance Lady Bulldogs end their 2022-2023 season with a 16-10 overall record, 6-0 in the conference with a 2nd place finish in the 2A East Regional Tournament and a 3rd place finish at the Class 2A State tournament.

Stats from the games:

SHS vs. Kemmerer: 38-28

Scoring: Mills 14 (8/10 FT, 0/2 3pt), Skeens 10 (2/6 3pt), L. Marchant 5 (1/1 FT), Williams 5 (2/2 FT, 1/3 3pt), Jones 2 (0/3 FT), Karol 2 (2/2 FT)

Rebound leaders: Mills 4, Gillespie 3, Skeens 3

Steals: Mills 4

SHS vs. Burns: 32-39

Scoring: Mills 13 (7/9 FT, 0/2 3pt), L. Marchant 7 (1/3 FT), K. Marchant 4, Skeens 3 (1/2 FT, 0/5 3pt), Williams 3 (1/4 3pt), Gillespie 1 (1/2 FT), Banker 1 (1/2 FT)

Rebound Leaders: Mills 9, L. Marchant 7

SHS vs. Tongue River: 68-62

Scoring: Mills 22 (10/16 FT, 0/5 3pt), Skeens 13 (5/8 FT, 0/3 3pt), L. Marchant 12 (4/7 FT), Williams 8 (2/5 3pt), Gillespie 5 (1/4 FT), Karol 4 (2/2 FT), Banker 3 (1/2 FT), Jones 1 (1/4 FT), K. Marchant 0 (0/4FT)

Rebound Leaders: Banker 7, Mills 5

Steals: Skeens 5, Mills 5, L. Marchant 4, K. Marchant 4