Winning week for Sundance basketball teams

Girls

The Sundance Lady Bulldogs added two more wins to their record this past week, defeating the Moorcroft Wolves and the Burns Broncs.

The gym was packed on Friday night as the Moorcroft Wolves came to town to face the Sundance Lady Bulldogs. Before the game, the Lady Bulldogs honored their five seniors for senior night.

As the game got underway, the Lady Bulldogs did what they do best, controlling the score and tempo of the game. From the tip, the Sundance team was in control of the game.

Holding the Wolves to single digit scoring throughout each quarter of play the Lady Bulldogs added to their two-game winning streak, taking a 56-23 victory.

Senior Savannah Williams made her presence known as she led the scoring charge for the Bulldogs, putting in a season high 20 points, 15 of which came from behind the three-point arc. Jaylin Mills helped to control the boards for the team, pulling down 7 rebounds for the night. 

The team was on the road on Saturday, traveling to Lusk to face the Burns Broncs. It was a familiar feeling as the Bulldogs took to the floor.

Holding the Broncs to just two points in the second quarter, the Bulldogs gained the momentum of the game and didn’t look back. Behind the scoring of Mills (21 points) and Lexie Marchant (11 points), the team would continue to control the tempo and seal the deal with a 44-29 victory. 

With these wins, the Sundance Lady Bulldogs move to a 13-4 overall and 2-0 conference record.

It will be a light week for the Lady Bulldogs with only one game. Hoping to continue their winning ways, the Lady Bulldogs will host conference rival, Tongue River, on Saturday. Games will start with JV at 1:30 p.m. and varsity girls to follow at 3 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs JV team will also host the Thunder Basin 9th on Friday, February 2, at 2 p.m.

Boys

The Sundance boys’ basketball team scored two additional victories on the court this past week as they defeated the Moorcroft Wolves and the Burns Broncs.

It was senior night as the Bulldogs took to the floor on Friday against Moorcroft. Starting the game with a narrow lead against the Wolves, the Bulldogs found themselves in a tight match.

Fortunately for the Bulldogs, continuous fouls by Moorcroft allowed the Bulldogs to maintain the slight advantage. Sinking nine of 13 from the charity stripe in the first half sent the Sundance team into the locker room with a 22-18 advantage.

It was the third quarter, however, that proved to be the turning point in the game. With just over three minutes remaining, the Moorcroft Wolves’ shooting went cold; they would not score again until just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs jumped on this opportunity and began to pull away from the Wolves, creating a significant scoring gap, and allowing for the 44-26 victory.

As a team, the Bulldogs shot an impressive 76% from the free throw line for the night, going 19 for 25. Senior Eli Gill led the team at the line going eight for ten on the night. 

The Bulldog boys were on the road on Saturday, traveling to Lusk to face the Burns Broncs. It was an unusually slow start for both teams with a score of 6-5 after one quarter of play and 17-13, in favor of the Bulldogs at the half.

Another quarter of single digit scoring put the score at 26-22 after three quarters of play. The Bulldogs finally found their groove in the fourth quarter, adding 22 points to the board and holding the Broncs to just six. With the fourth quarter run, the Bulldogs took a 49-30 win over the Burns Broncs. 

The Sundance Bulldogs will host the Tongue River Eagles on Saturday.

“We have a great opportunity to showcase our skill against a very talented TR team,” Coach Olson stated, “We have a great opportunity this year to play against a top 5 team once or twice a week and TR is our chance this week.”

Tip off will be at 1:30 p.m. with the JV team and the boys varsity is tentatively set for 4:30 p.m. The Sundance JV team will also play Thunder Basin 9th at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, February 2.

Stats

SHS Girls vs. Moorcroft: 56-23

Scoring: Williams 20 (3/4 FT, 5/12 3pt), Mills 9 (¼ 3pt), L.Marchant 7 (1/2 FT), K. Marchant 5 (0/2FT, 1/2 3pt), Karol 4, R. Marchant 3 (1/3 3pt), Banker 3 (1/4 FT), Jones 2, Gill1 (1/4 FT)

Rebound Leaders: Mills 7, Banker 6, L. Marchant 4, Karol 4

Steals: K.Marchant 3, Banker 3, Williams 3

SHS Girls vs. Burns: 44-29

Scoring: Mills 21 (8/13 FT, 1/4 3pt), R. Marchant 11 (4/7 FT, 1/4 3pt), L.Marchant 7 (1/2 FT), Williams 2 (2/2 FT), Karol 2, Jones 1 (1/2 FT)

Rebound leaders: L.Marchant 10, K. Marchant 5, R. Marchant 5

Assists: Mills 2, Williams 1

Blocks: L.Marchant 2, 

Steals: Mills 6

SHS Boys vs. Moorcroft: 44-26

Scoring: Mills 16 (4/5 FT, 0/3 3pt), E.Gill 12 (8/1 0FT), Schommer 10 (4/4 FT), Skeens 4 (1/2 FT, 1/5 3pt), D.Gill (2/4 FT, 0/1 3pt)

Rebound leaders: Mills 12, E.Gill 11, Skeens 6

Steals: Schommer 3, E. Gills 2

Assists: E.Gill 3

SHS Boys vs. Burns: 49-30

Scoring: Mills 16 (2/4 FT, 0/1 3pt), D.Gill 9 (0/2 FT, 1/3 3pt), Skeens 9 (3/4 FT), E.Gill 6, Schommer 5 (3/3 FT), Lenz 2, Watt 1 (1/2 FT)

Rebound leaders: Mills 7, E.Gill 6, Schommer 5

Assists: Mills 4

Steals: Skeens 5, E.Gill 3