Lady Dogs get ball rolling in home-opener win
Whitefish's Madi Gordon gets to the hoop on a fast break opportunity during a game against Eureka on Friday in Whitefish. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Bulldog Bailey Smith takes a shot in a game against Eureka on Friday in Whitefish. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish junior Hailey Ells takes the ball down the court during a game against Eureka on Friday in Whitefish. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the first quarter against the Eureka Lady Lions Friday night and never looked back winning 38-18.
The game was the Lady Bulldogs' season opener at Whitefish High School in front of a good crowd. Whitefish head coach Bob Bolam said it was great for the girls to come out and get the victory on their home court.
“It’s good to start the season off with a win,” Whitefish coach Bob Bolam said. “Everybody feels much better after getting a win and it helps you come back to face the next game.”
The Bulldogs led by 18 points at the half and in the final quarter they had the opportunity to give several younger players time on the varsity court. Six out of the 10 players had their first minutes ever on the varsity court.
“I thought the girls played really hard, that’s what we want, we want to see effort all the time,” Bolam said. “Definitely there were some mistakes in there… but that’s stuff we can work on. It was a positive night for the Whitefish Bulldogs.”
Whitefish was led in scoring by two of their captains Jude Perry, who had a game-high 12 points, and Bailey Smith who scored 10 points in limited minutes. Smith is coming back from a knee injury and working her way back to full strength.
“For (Smith) to get 10 points in 10 minutes that was a big lift for us… It was a positive getting her back on the court,” Bolam said.
Hailey Ells had 4 points, five assists and five steals at the point; Ainsley Scott also scored 4 points as eight Bulldogs scored in the game.
For Eureka, Tayla Truman, Bryn VanOrden and Aubrey Casazza each scored five points.
Whitefish heads to the Western A Tip-Off Tournament in Frenchtown this weekend. Bolam says the team is looking forward to the trip and it will be a great chance for the team to spend time together on and off the court.
“It’s good for the girls to get out and create camaraderie for them to start the season,” Bolam said of the upcoming road trip.
Whitefish travels to Frenchtown for a two-day tournament Friday and Saturday and will face a variety of divisional opponents. Then the girls will be back in Whitefish playing Corvallis at home on Dec. 16.
Whitefish 11 15 10 2 – 38
Eureka 3 5 4 6 – 18
WHITEFISH – Yoli Krastev 3, Madi Gordon 2, Jude Perry 12, Camry Kelch 1, Bailey Smith 10, Hailey Ells 4, Ainsley Scott 4, Avarie MacKenzie 2.
EUREKA – Brynn Miller 1, Tayla Truman 5, Mia Webb 2, Bryn VanOrden 5, Aubrey Casazza 5.
