Bulldog Basketball
Author: Gary Bauman, MT43 News Sports Correspondent
Bulldog Basketball
Gary Bauman
MT43 News Sports Correspondent
Townsend Boys Score a Season-High 58 in a Losing Effort
Townsend Bulldogs took on the undefeated Manhattan Tigers in a class 5B matchup in Manhattan on Friday. This high-paced game saw 83 points in the first half as the Bulldogs, led by Grady Erickson’s 10 first-half points, found themselves down 15 at the half. After the break, the Bulldogs started a comeback, led by Ryedan Reed who finished with 23 points with 4 threes. “We had a great 2nd and 3rd quarter in this game. Ryedan came out of the locker room with 3 three-pointers in a row,” Coach Tyler Patrick said after the game.
The Dogs cut the lead to as low as 7 in the third, but the high-powered offense, led by Michael Stewart’s 21 points and Callin Fenno’s 17 points and 10 rebounds was just too much for the Bulldogs. “We scored our highest number of points in this game and our guys run the floor harder than anyone,” coach Patrick added. “Manhattan moves the ball really well in their offense. They are well coached and always make the right pass.” The Bulldogs lose this one to the Tigers, 58-79
Ryedan Reed 23, Grady Erickson 12, Sawyer Horne 10, Tavyn Anderson 9, Deegan Mattson 2, Trenton Hoveland 2
Lady Bulldogs Fall to Manhattan
On January 5th, coach David Lawson’s Lady Bulldogs fell to their division rival Manhattan Tigers. The Bulldogs traveled to Manhattan and had a hard time getting the ball to go in the basket in the first quarter, shooting just 1 of 14 from the field and finding themselves in an early first-quarter hole down 17 to 4, but the Bulldogs didn't quit. They stepped up the pressure in the second quarter starting to keep pace with the Tiger offense led by Gracie Millimen who finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Ella Begger and Emmalin Fisher, who finished with 14 and 12 points respectively, led the Dogs in the second half in a comeback that had Townsend within 4 points.
“We have to trust the process and our style of play and not doubt what got us here when things are not going our way,” coach David Lawson stated. Kaitlyn Noyes who finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds had the job of keeping the Tigers off the offensive glass and gave it her best effort. “We have to learn how to be disciplined, consistent, fearless and coachable if we are going to be competitive against the top-tier teams in our conference,” Coach Lawson added. The Tigers 42 rebounds, 17 offensive, was just too much as Millimen and the Tigers were able to fight off the comeback to win 57-48.
Ella Begger 14, Emmalin Fischer 12, Kaitlyn Noyes 11, Emily Bird 3, Cassidy Flynn 3, Bryleigh Erickson 3, Holly Newman 2
Bulldogs Down Early to Lone Peak
Saturday afternoon the 4-3 Lone Peak Bighorns came to Townsend to take on the 2-5 Bulldogs. The Bighorn defense kept the Dogs shooting in check in the first quarter, limiting them to 4 of 18 shooting, giving Lone Peak a 13 to 9 lead after one. That 4 point lead was built to 7 by the half, led by the Bighorn duo of Ebe Grabow and Isaac Bedway who finished the game with 28 and 22 points respectively.
The Dogs' poor shooting in the 3rd quarter, making just 2 field goals out of 14 attempts, dug a 51 to 33 hole that seemed to be nearly impossible to overcome. However, Ryedan Reed and Tavyn Anderson, who finished with 18 and 17 for the night, would make that attempt of a comeback. In the 4th quarter, the Dogs made 10 of 20 shots to cut the lead down to 6 inside of the last minute of play. That would be all the closer the game would be as the final score was 65-59.
Ryedan Reed 18, Tavyn Anderson 17, Deegan Mattson 11, Sawyer Horne 9, Grady Erickson 4
Lady Dogs Victorious Versus Lone Peak Lady Bighorns
The 4-3 Lady Bulldogs played host to the visiting 2-5 Lone Peak Bighorns on Saturday. This high-action game didn’t produce a lot of points but both teams felt like it was a heavyweight fight. Townsend, led by Ella Begger’s 12 points and Holly Newman’s 5 steals and 6 assists, built a first-half lead of 10 points, 22-12.
It seemed like the lead should have been more, as the Dogs put up 50 shot attempts, forcing 25 turnovers and collecting 23 offensive rebounds by the half. They just couldn’t find the bottom of the net shooting just 18%. A couple of big 3rd quarter baskets off the bench by Junior Abby Wickens was enough to get the Dogs rolling in the second half. “Abby gave us a much-needed spark when we needed one, especially when we were struggling to score,” Coach Lawson stated. Wickens had 2 big threes and a 2 pointer to lead the dogs to a 16-point lead going into the final quarter where the Lady Dogs were able to hold on to a 55-27 lead.
Ella Begger 12, Kaitlyn Noyes 9, Abby Wickens 8, Holly Newman 6, Madelyn Schritz 5, Emily Bird 3, Cassidy Flynn 3, Taylor Cartwright 3, Emmalin Fischer 2, Bryleigh Erickson 2, Jazel Ragen 2
Article Images
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PhotoCredit: Photo Credits: Kelly Morris
Image 1 Caption: Townsend's Deegan Mattson takes it to the rim during Saturday's game against Lone Peak.
Photo Credits: Kelly Morris
Image 2 Caption: Townsend's Ella Begger goes up for a shot against Lone Peak in last Saturday's game.
Photo Credits: Kelly Morris
