Tough week for basketball

Girls

It was a conference showdown for the Sundance Lady Bulldogs this past week as the Tongue River Eagles came to town. The Eagles, soaring in with an 3-0 conference record, clashed with the Bulldogs, who were riding high on a four-game winning streak and a 2-0 conference record.

Both teams hoped to maintain their perfect conference record and earn the top spot in the conference. 

With the game underway, Savannah Williams and Jaylin Mills hit early from behind the three-point arc to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. Turnovers and defensive fouls, however, proved to be the stumbling block for the Bulldogs as the game progressed. Capitalizing on the Bulldog errors, the Eagles went six of nine from the free throw line and secured a 19-12 lead heading into the halftime break. 

The Bulldog offense struggled with single-digit scoring for three quarters of play. The Eagles, on the other hand, were able to exploit the Bulldog struggles, putting up 15 points throughout the third quarter and creating a cushion between themselves and the Bulldogs.

Despite a fourth quarter rally, behind the scoring of Mills, the Bulldog winning streak came to an end as the Eagles took a 48-29 victory over the Bulldogs. 

Mills led the team in scoring for the night, putting up 16 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter. Teammate Lexie Marchant helped control the boards, pulling down six for the night. 

The Sundance Lady Bulldogs will split their time at home and on the road this week as they host Big Horn and travel to Wright for two more conference games. Games against Big Horn will take place on Friday, starting with two quarters of JV at 3 p.m., and varsity at 5:30.

Boys

Hoping to break free from their conference losing streak, the Sundance boys basketball team hosted a single competition this past week, facing the Tongue River Eagles. The Eagles set the tone for the night behind the scoring of Caleb Kilbridge and Connor Cummins, who collectively hit five times from behind the three-point line, to give Tongue River a quick and commanding 21-12 lead in the first quarter.

As the defenses tightened, both teams faced a slowdown in scoring, yet the Eagles were able to maintain control, holding a 29-16 lead going into the halftime break. 

The Bulldogs struggled with offensive challenges throughout the third quarter, unable to convert promising looks into points. A late-game surge allowed the Bulldogs to gain some ground, but the clock proved to be their toughest opponent in the end as they fell to the Eagles 39-52.

Keaton Mills and Parker Skeens led the Bulldog effort putting in 16 and 11 points for the night. Teammate Deklan Gill controlled the boards for the Bulldogs, securing ten rebounds.

The Bulldogs hope to right their conference ship as they face two more conference teams this week when they host the Big Horn Rams, on Friday, and travel to Wright to face the Panthers. Games on Friday will start with JV at 4pm and varsity to start at 7 p.m. 

Stats

SHS Girls vs. Tongue River: 29-48

Scoring: Mills 16 (4/7 FT, 2/4 3pt), L. Marchant 7 (1/7 FT), Banker 3 (1/2 FT), Williams 3 (1/3 3pt)

Rebound Leaders: L. Marchant 6, Williams 4

Steals: R. Marchant 3, Mills 3

SHS Boys vs. Tongue River: 39-52

Scoring: Mills 16 (2/2 FT, 2/5 3pt), Skeens 11 (2/2 FT, 1/4 3pt), Schommer 8 (1/2 FT, 1/6 3pt), E. Gill 4 (0/1 3pt)

Rebound Leaders: D. Gill 10, Mills 5

Assists: D. Gill 5, Schommer 3

Steals: Skeens 3, Schommer 2

Blocks: Mills 2, D. Gill 1