Lady Bulldogs update

by Head Coach Beau Swopes

On Monday, Jan. 22, the Lady Bulldogs entered the Clinton tournament as the #7 seed and had a first round contest versus the #2 seed Nevada Lady Tigers.

In the first quarter the Lady Bulldogs struggled to get anything going as Nevada jumped out to an early 19 to 5 lead with a very balanced attack. In the second quarter the Lady Bulldogs fought back out scoring Nevada 13 to 10, to close within 11 at the half.

The second half would see the Lady Bulldogs struggle from the field and Nevada forced a lot of turnovers, which led to some easy baskets. The Lady Bulldogs fell in the first round 25 to 56.

Leading the Lady Bulldogs in scoring was Kelsey Thomas with 7.

On Wednesday, the Lady Bulldogs played their second round game against Hogan Prep. Once again, the Lady Bulldogs struggled to get anything going in the first half and saw themselves down by 14 going into the half.

In the second half the Lady Bulldogs would go on a few runs to cut into the lead, but Hogan Prep’s size would be too much, as they would come storming back. The Lady Bulldogs would get as close as 8, but eventually fell 38-55.

Leading the Lady Bulldogs in scoring was Paige Esry with 16.

On Friday, the Lady Bulldogs played their final round game against the Adrian Black Hawks. The first quarter was back and forth with the Lady Bulldogs holding an early advantage 11-10. In the second quarter, the Lady Bulldogs went on a late run scoring the last 6 points of the half to take a 31-23 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter, was much like the first as both teams were able to make shots, but the Blackhawks were able to hit the last shot of the quarter cutting the lead to 6.

In the fourth, the Blackhawks made some adjustments defensively and the Lady Bulldogs struggled with turnovers and forced shots and Adrian was able to take a 4-point lead with under a minute to play. On the next possession, Taylor Robison hit a three from the corner to cut the lead to one, and then Brittany Stevens deflected a pass which led to a back court violation by Adrian to give the Lady Bulldogs the ball back with 30 seconds left to play. On the ensuing possession Paige Esry took an open three point shot which rimmed out, but Amy Ford was there for the put back and ElDo took a one point lead.

The Lady Bulldogs played good defense on the next play and Adrian was called for an illegal screen. After that the Lady Bulldogs were able to hold on to the ball and escape with a 52-51 win.

Scoring for the Lady Bulldogs were: Paige Esry 19, Amy Ford 13, Taylor Robison 11, Brittany Stevens 5, Keili Tough and Kelsey Thomas 2. Paige Esry was also elected to the All Tournament team.

PLENTY OF ELEVATION – During the Climax Springs game, Wyatt Graves got plenty of elevation for his shot. Coach Braden said, “Wyatt Graves plays very hard and is a good defender.”

3 POINT RANGE – Trey Babcock, good shooter, good overall player. The Bulldog boys won over Climax Springs: by quarter  – ElDo–12–23–18–6——59

Climax Springs–9–6–4–0—-19.

DRIVING – Freshman Preston Robison drives toward the basket in the JV game against Climax Springs.

IN THE PAINT – The going got tough for Freshman Gaven Morgan in the Climax Springs game Monday night.