Lady Dogs pick up wins over Eureka, Polson, fall to Browning
Whitefish sophomore Jude Perry drives to the hoop for a shot attempt against Browning on Friday at WHS. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Bulldog Hailey Ells looks to pass on a fast break opportunity against Browning on Friday. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish freshman Yoli Krastev drives baseline against Browning on Friday. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish head coach Bob Bolam calls out to his team during a game against Browning at Whitefish High School. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Last week Whitefish showed its potential, earning wins over Polson and Eureka. However when faced with the tough team out of Browning, the Bulldogs were handed a loss.
On Tuesday, Feb. 1 Whitefish got another chance against Polson. After the Lady Pirates defeated Whitefish earlier this season, the Dogs were looking to put up a win at home.
Whitefish’s 15-point second quarter, while only allowing 1 point from Polson, helped the Lady Bulldogs to a 37-25 win over the Lake County foe.
“That was a big game for us because we knew that they beat us the first time,” Whitefish head coach Bob Bolam said. “Besides getting a win that we needed, it was good for us for seeding purposes to win that game.”
Whitefish sophomore Jude Perry got her first varsity start in this game and led the Dogs with 12 points. Another sophomore Hailey Ells added 7 points.
Whitefish allowed Polson 12 points in the first quarter but then held them to just 13 points for the remaining three quarters of play.
“We had some people step up, our sophomores have been playing good,” Bolam said. “Jude Perry… she’s been playing well for a while and she led us with 12 points in that game. She did a nice job of stepping in.”
The Lady Bulldogs next went on the road north to Eureka, in a rematch from the Lion’s powerful 30-plus-point win over Whitefish the week prior. In the recent game though, Whitefish fought hard to narrowly win 44-38 over Eureka.
The Bulldogs had a massive 21-point second quarter which gave them a 29-18 lead heading into halftime. Whitefish was led by senior Erin Wilde’s 17 points, including four 3-pointers. She led three Bulldogs in double figures as Perry and Taylor Means each scored 10 points.
“We started a little slow in the first quarter, Erin Wilde picked us up with a couple threes,” Bolam recalled. “Then in the second quarter it was like we couldn’t miss… we scored 21 in the second quarter, so we jumped ahead early and put them on their heels a little bit.”
On Friday Whitefish hosted Browning (10-2) and couldn’t keep up with the Lady Indians’ hot shooting, taking a 59-26 loss.
Browning had a balanced scoring attack with nine players getting on the board. The Bulldogs struggled to score against the full-court press and physicality Browning played with.
Whitefish’s Wilde led the team in scoring with 8 points.
“They just took it to us from the beginning…” Bolam said. “Not a great game for us, but give credit to Browning. They’re a really good team and they showed it that night.”
The Lady Bulldogs are now 5-9 overall, 2-6 in league play. Whitefish lost its leading scorer Bailey Smith last week to an injury, and hopes she is ready to return before the postseason.
Whitefish has another busy week coming up, and needs a win against Libby to set up the best-case scenario for postseason play-in games next week.
“(Against Libby) that’s a big one of course because we need to win that game to keep our spot for the seeding for play-in game,” Bolam said. “Libby has struggled a little bit this year, so we need to get on top and try to finish that one.”
Whitefish was set to host Cut Bank on Tuesday after press time. Then the Dogs will also host Libby on Friday for senior night beginning at 7:15 p.m. and Columbia Falls on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Browning 17 16 11 15 - 59
Whitefish 10 4 6 6 - 26
BROWNING — Jerel Whitegraas 14, Mecca Bullchild 9, Amari Calfrobe 7, Lish Spoonhunter 6, Bradley Racine 6, Kinsley Bird 5, Tashlyn Lazyboy 5, Sugar Spoonhunter 4, Cara Guardipee 3
WHITEFISH — Erin Wilde 8, Jude Perry 4, Taylor Means 4, Ainsley Scott 4, Yoli Krastev 2, Hailey Ells, Skye Horowitz 2
Whitefish 8 21 6 9 - 44
Eureka 12 6 8 12 - 38
WHITEFISH — Erin Wilde 17, Jude Perry 10, Taylor Means 10, Ashley Gunset 5, Ainsley Scott 2
EUREKA — Jadyn Pluid 16, Ixone Coteron 8, Dylan Sharp 6, Reena Truman 4, Jimena Sanchez 4.
Polson 12 1 8 4 - 25
Whitefish 4 15 10 8 - 37
POLSON — Turquoise Pierre 9, Javin Bad Bear 4, McKenna Hanson 4, Ariana Burke 3, Jazlyn Dalbey 3
WHITEFISH — Jude Perry 12, Hailey Ells 7, Taylor Means 6, Erin Wilde 5, Alivia Ingold 4, Ainsley Scott 3.
