Yellowjackets no problem for Lady Bulldogs in beatdown

The Whitefish Lady Bulldogs squashed the Stevensville Yellowjackets at home on Saturday.

The team routed Stevi 51-32 for their fourth win of the year.

Whitefish opened up a 25-17 lead at the half and never looked back in the game. Gracie Smyley led the team in scoring with 15, while Claire Carloss added 10 and Kaiah Moore nine.

Head coach Bob Bolam said the game was what he’s been looking for all year.

“We suited up 10 for varsity and I asked all 10 to give me their best game,” he said. “The girls really stepped it up and played a great game. It’s really good to see a good win like that at this time of the year.”

On Friday the team got close against Eureka but couldn’t finish, falling 39-28.

Both teams struggled in the first quarter, with Whitefish leading 5-4 after eight minutes of play, but Eureka fired off 15 points in the second to take a 19-12 lead.

The teams traded third and fourth quarters, with Whitefish outscoring Eureka in the third but falling behind in the final frame, and the Lady Dogs couldn’t make the comeback necessary.

Smyley led the team with 12 points.

The Lady Dogs traveled to Ronan on Tuesday after press time, and they’ll host Corvallis on Friday at 7:15 p.m.

Both teams are going to be tough to beat, Bolam said.

“Ronan is just above us in standings, but watching them play they’re a scrappy group. We just need to be ready to handle the ball again, I think we’ll be alright if we can do that,” he said. “[Corvallis has] been playing pretty good lately. They’ve got a balanced scoring attack, so you have to keep an eye on all of them.”

Whitefish 5 7 11 5 — 28

Eureka 4 15 7 13 — 39

WHITEFISH — Kit Anderson 2, Claire Carloss 3, Gracie Smyley 12, Payton Kastella 7, Jadi Walburn 2, Marlee Bender 2.

Whitefish 11 14 11 15 51

Stevensville 6 11 7 8 32

WHITEFISH: Kit Anderson 4, Kaiah Moore 9, Hope Brown 6, Claire Carloss 10, Gracie Smyley 15, Jadi Walburn 3, Marlee Bender 4