The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Despite two notches in the losing column this week, the Haxtun Lady Bulldogs held their own against top-ranked teams and continues to improve each contest. The Lady Bulldogs took on the number-one ranked team in 1A and a top-ranked 2A team over the past week as well as faced off with Prairie at home in front of a larger crowd this week.

The Lady Bulldogs kicked off their full week of basketball action at Northeastern Junior College on Tuesday as the team took on a tough Briggsdale team. The Lady Falcons are ranked as the top team in 1A girls' basketball action.

The Falcons came out strong both defensively and offensively, putting 19 points on the board while holding Haxtun to just seven. The team added 13 points to the Lady Bulldogs' eight in the second for a 32-15 advantage at the half.

The Lady Bulldogs came out from the half firing on all cylinders, matching Briggsdale's 18 points in the third quarter and even outscoring the Lady Falcons in the fourth but the first half lead was enough for Briggsdale to seal the deal, 60-46.

"This was our first time to get to play a junior varsity game and it took our players a little while to adjust to playing in a game again as a JV team," Coach Arlan Scholl said of his team's outing at NJC. "We have some new freshman and we just needed some time to gel. As the game progressed, we started to execute our offense and defense better and started to get comfortable on the court together. Our players played very in the varsity game. We played a complete game both offensively and defensively. We were just up against a very good number-one ranked Briggsdale team. We got behind some in the first half, but our players continued to play hard and make a game of it and actually outscored Briggsdale by three points in the second half."

Three Lady Bulldogs put up double digits in the scoring column, led by senior Bella Tori with 14 points. Allie Thompson added 12 points while Taylor Schram put up 11. Haxtun made five of 10 free throws to go 50 percent from the line as a team. Thompson made both of her shots at the line to go 100 percent for the night.

Thompson and Tori led in rebounds, each pulling down seven. Thompson brought down four on offense and three on defense; Tori nabbed three on offense and four on defense. K'Lyn Bornhoft tallied six total rebounds followed by Schram with four. Bornhoft led in steals, with four on the night, while Schram and Cassidy Goddard led in assists, each with three.

On Friday night, the hometown Bulldogs hosted the top-ranked 2A Lady Eagles from Wray. Despite falling to the tough team, Haxtun held their composure, caused Wray to turn the ball over often and battled until the end.

Wray nabbed an early 21-15 lead after the first quarter and defensively held Haxtun to single digits in the second to hold onto a 40-20 advantage. Haxtun again came out firing in the third, outscoring the Lady Eagles by two in the third but a fourth-quarter run by the visiting team gave them the 26-point win.

"Wray is a very good team and their player numbers and depth was just too much for us to deal with," Scholl said. "Our girls played very hard and caused Wray to turn the ball over many times, but the win for us was just not meant to be. We handled their press well and got many good looks at the basket, but just could not hit the shots we needed to stay in the game with them. I am proud of the effort that our girls made and continue to look forward to our success this season."

Schram led her team in Friday night's outing with 19 points against the Lady Eagles. Tori added nine followed by Goddard with seven. As a team, the Lady Bulldogs shot 47 percent from the free-throw line, connecting with seven of 15 shots at the charity stripe. Tori made one for one for 100 percent on the night followed by Schram who sunk five of eight at the line for 63 percent.

Goddard pulled down nine total rebounds against Wray, the team high. The freshman starter grabbed four on offense and five on defense. Tori pulled down six rebounds followed by Bornhoft and Schram, each with six. Thompson tallied five steals on the night.

The Lady Bulldogs bounced back from a two-game losing streak on Saturday as they hosted the Lady Mustangs from Prairie in front of a larger than usual crowd for the 2020-21 season. Due to recent changes on the COVID dial, Phillips County moved to level blue on Saturday, allowing each player seven fan tickets versus two has it had been before.

Haxtun struck quick and often in the first quarter, taking an early 30-4 advantage at home Saturday. The team added another 12 points while holding Prairie to single digits in the second to boast a 42-13 half time advantage.

Defensively, the Lady Bulldogs held their opponent to only eight points the entire second half while putting up 16 of their own to cruise to a 58-21 win.

Goddard had an impressive showing in front of more friends and family Saturday, putting up 14 points against the Lady Mustangs. Tori added 12 points for her second double-digit scoring night for the week. Thompson put up nine points followed by Bornhoft with seven.

The Lady Bulldogs connected with seven of 15 free throws, for a 47 shooting percentage at the line. Samantha Seger, Thompson and Grace Gibson each shot 50 percent on the night.

Goddard recorded a double-double, putting up double digits in the rebounding column as well. She pulled down eight on defense and two on offense for a total of 10 followed by Thompson and Tori, each with seven. Schram tallied four assists while Thompson led in steals with five.

"We came out in our full-court press and they struggled to handle our pressure," Scholl said of the Lady Bulldogs' performance against Prairie. "We caused many turnovers that resulted in easy baskets. Our continued pressure half-court defense was also very good and I felt that our overall defense was the big difference in the game. This is a great group of girls to work with and they are continuing to work hard and improve each game."

This week, the Lady Bulldogs are set for two contests, starting on Thursday with a trip to Akron. Friday, the team is set to host the Lady Rams from Merino. Both games are scheduled to begin with junior varsity at 4 p.m. Continue to watch the Haxtun Fightin' Bulldog Booster Club page for updates on game schedules and links to watch live on YouTube.