Lady Bulldogs District Tournament Recap
Author: Wanda Lambott, Lady Bulldogs Assistant Coach
Lady Bulldogs District Tournament Recap Wanda Lambott, Lady Bulldogs Assistant Coach The #5 seed Townsend Lady Bulldogs journeyed down the road to the District 5B basketball tournament in Belgrade to play the #4 seed Three Forks Wolves on Thursday, February 16. The bus was decorated and a special “care package” filled with goodies and trinkets was given to the bus driver, players, managers and coaches. It was an exciting and close game. The halftime score was 22-21 in favor of the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs would pull away just a little at the end of the fourth quarter for the win, 44-39. Top Bulldog scorers were Emily Bird and Holly Newman with 11 points each. Ella Begger had 10 points, Briannah Williams with 6 points and Emmalin Fischer, Cassidy Flynn and Kaitlyn Noyes each with 2 points to round out the scoring for the Bulldogs.
The Lady Bulldogs were back in action against the #1 seed Big Timber Herders on Friday, February 17. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the game got quickly out of hand with a halftime score of 39-17. During the second half, Coach Lawson substituted his entire lineup, giving every player a taste of tournament action and saving legs for the probable loser out game the next morning. The Bulldogs would lose 62-18. Ella Begger, Emmalin Fischer and Holly Newman contributed 4 points, while Briannah Williams had 3 points, Emily Bird with 2 points and Kady Clark with a free throw for 1 point.
It was an early morning for the Lady Bulldogs on Saturday, February 18, who hopped on the bus at 7:00 am for the early morning game against #6 seed Whitehall. The Bulldogs expected a “dogfight” and were not disappointed. Bulldogs led 21-16 at halftime. Fueled by a strong third quarter, the Trojans pulled ahead 37-36. Finally, in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were able to regain the lead for the win, 55-52. Ella Begger led the team with 20 points, Emily Bird had 11 points, Holly Newman 9 points, Kaitlyn Noyes 8 points, Cassidy Flynn 4 points and Briannah Williams with 3 points.
With a chance to attend the Divisional tournament on the line, the Lady Bulldogs fired up to play the #2 seed, Jefferson Panthers. The Bulldogs were down just 3 points after the first quarter, but the Panthers would outscore them 20-7 in the second quarter for a halftime score of 33-17. The Bulldogs tried to cut into the lead in the third quarter but just couldn’t match the Panthers, who would eventually win 58-24. Emily Bird contributed 7 points, Emmalin Fischer 5 points, Holly Newman and Kaitlyn Noyes 4 points each, Madelyn Schritz 3 points and Ella Begger 1 point.
Eventually, every season must end. Together, we are thankful to have shared this season with one another, celebrating the victories and bonding through adversity. We will miss the seniors who helped to shape the “new look” of our basketball program. We look forward to future seasons with anticipation, knowing that the foundation has been laid for continued development and success.
