Back to basics after Dogs drop two straight
Diana Vasquez drives to the basket during Saturday's loss to Frenchtown.
Rebounding and avoiding turnovers are the focal points for the Bulldogs after two disappointing losses to Bigfork and Frenchtown last week.
On Thursday Whitefish traveled to face Class B rival Bigfork, but a flat start by the Dogs led to a 56-38 blowout loss instead of a rematch of the 53-50 loss to the Vikings a month ago. Dillon Botner led the team with 10 points and Lee Walburn scored nine.
The following night wasn’t any better. Whitefish fell to conference opponent Frenchtown 84-42 after finishing the first half already down 30 points. Sawyer Silliker and Walburn both scored nine points for Whitefish.
Head coach Sean Duff was blunt in his assessment of the Bulldogs’ performance.
“We did not play well Thursday, we did not play well Friday,” Duff said. “We stepped out there and kind of got punched in the face, in a sense. We didn’t respond very well.”
Duff said getting outrebounded on the offensive boards by both opponents was the Dogs’ biggest problem. Add in unnecessary turnovers, he said, and Whitefish gave the other team too many chances to win.
“It’s been our Achilles heel all year. We’re giving the other team so many more possessions,” Duff said. “You can’t win basketball games that way. You’re stacking the odds so far against you that it’s impossible to win. That’s something we’ve got to clean up looking ahead to divisionals.”
However, once those issues are addressed, Duff said he’s confident the team’s luck will begin to turn as they approach the end of the season.
“We still think we’re going to be good. Morale is still good. They know we can be a good basketball team,” he said.
The Bulldogs (4-9, 0-3) host Corvallis on Friday at 6 p.m. Duff said he likes his team’s chances against the Blue Devils, but in a season full of unpredictable wins and losses across the board, he’s aware that anything can happen.
“Each night in Western A is completely different. You don’t know what you’re going to get,” he said.
Whitefish 38
Bigfork 56
WHITEFISH — Derek Kastella 7, Murphy Wick 3, Tucker Blake 2, Vegard Ellingsen 2, Sawyer Silliker 3, Ryan Kemm 2, Lee Walburn 9, Dillon Botner 10.
BIGFORK — Anders Epperly 18, Clayton Reichenbach 7, Colton Reichenbach 3, Randy Stultz 2, Logan Taylor 4, Chase Chappius 2, Logan Gilliard 11, Beau Santistevan 7, Brody Lamar 2.
Whitefish 42
Frenchtown 84
Whitefish – Derek Kastella 8, Zander Wold 4, Murphy Wick 2, Vagard Ellingsen 2, Sawyer Silliker 9, Ryan Kemm 6, Lee Walburn 9, Dillon Botner 2.
Frenchtown – Ethan Pyron 8, Jacob Price 20, Brock Rugg 10, Ty Hoppie 3, Cade Baker 3, Adam Botkin 14, Hank Rugg 1, Tradd Richardson 5, Austin Means 17, Zack Baker 3.