Lady Dogs fall to high-scoring Braves on the road
Aaric Bryan / Daily Inter Lake Whitefish guard Diana Vasquez drives the ball upcourt during the second quarter against Flathead on Saturday.
It was a rough start for the Lady Bulldogs basketball team Saturday, losing 76-15 to Flathead in the season opener.
Head coach Ben Johnson noted that while the scoreboard made it look like a landslide victory, there were some positives.
“The score doesn’t always show everything,” he said. “We did a few things well and I’m OK with that.”
Johnson said halfcourt defense has been a priority for his team and he saw progress with that Saturday. However, most of Flathead’s points came on transition, something the team will need to improve upon moving forward.
Anissa Brown led Whitefish scorers with 6 points on 2 of 5 shooting and Bella Wilson added 4 points on 2 of 6. The team went 5 of 24 shooting and hit 5 of 11 free throws.
The Lady Dogs have a fresh look this season after returning no previous starters. Seniors on the team are Abby Carson and Amara McDaniel. The team’s captains are Bella Wilson, Annisa Brown and Becca Catina.
Finding a way to get each player in the right role is the challenge with a new team, Johnson said.
“I’m going to move some kids around, I’ve got to find somebody that can run the floor a bit to get our offense started,” he said.
Whitefish travels to Missoula this weekend for the Western A Tip Off Tournament at the University of Montana.
Whitefish 4 5 6 0 — 15
Flathead 24 20 25 7 — 76
WHITEFISH — Annisa Brown 6, Bella Wilson 4, Marlee Bender 2, Diana Vasquez 2, Lauren Schulz 1.
FLATHEAD — Kelsey Gillespie 16, Tiana Johnson 16, Averie Olson 10, Mary Heaton 9, Taylor Henley 9, Kylie Meredith 8, Clara Vandenbosch 4, Sara Clarin 2, Sierra Siblerud 2.