Browning outpaces Lady Bulldogs

A slow start by Whitefish in the first half proved to be something the Lady Bulldogs couldn’t overcome in a 63-26 Northwest A Conference matchup on Saturday, Jan. 27.

Browning jumped out to a 22-6 lead in the first quarter and then outscored Whitefish by ten in the second quarter.

"To start with, we were limited with available players due to injuries," Whitefish head coach Bob Bolam said. "Browning is tough enough to play against with their aggressive running and trapping style of play; to do it with fewer players makes it more difficult. Though I did think we handled the pressure very well considering the circumstances."

Yoli Krastev led Whitefish with nine points, while Madi Gordon had seven points. Bolam added that Madi Gordon scoring six and seven points in back-to-back games was really great to see.

"I was very pleased with the play of Madi Gordon, who came off the bench to start for Bailey Smith," Bolam said. "She performed well handling the ball and scored a career-high seven points. Also pleased with Yoli Krastev, who also scored a career-high of nine points to lead us in scoring."

Whitefish fell to 0-4 in conference play, while Browning improved to 5-1.

At Whitefish

BROWNING 63, WHITEFISH 26

Browning - 22 - 14 - 19 - 8 - 63

Whitefish - 6 - 4 - 11 - 5 - 26

WHITEFISH SCORING - Yoli Krastev 9, Madi Gordon 7, Jude Perry 5, Ainsley Scott 4, Charlize Illrich 1

Ronan Gets Past Whitefish

The Whitefish defense clamped down on Ronan in the first half, but the Maidens got past the Lady Bulldogs in the second half for a 40-36 Northwest A victory on Tuesday, January 23.

After the first quarter, Whitefish held on to a slim 13-10 lead and then held Ronan to just one point in the second stanza for a 19-11 halftime lead.

"In the first half, I think we were aggressive on offense, taking the ball to the hoop, and moving our feet on defense, causing some turnovers," Bolam said. "In the third quarter, they became the aggressor, and we started turning the ball over and fouling them. We outscored them everywhere except the free throw line."

Whitefish shot 1-for-4 from the free throw line, while Ronan shot 16-for-30 from the charity stripe.

Ronan outscored Whitefish by seven points in the third quarter and five in the fourth to pick up the victory.

Bailey Smith led the Lady Bulldogs with 14 points, while Jude Perry had nine points.

"In the Ronan game, Bailey Smith was very aggressive offensively early with six quick points and followed it up by scoring in every quarter to end up leading us with 14 points," Bolam said. "Jude Perry was good around the hoop, getting rebounds and put-backs to score nine points. Madi Gordon gave us six points off the bench."

At Whitefish

RONAN 40, WHITEFISH 36

Ronan - 10 - 1 - 14 - 15 - 40

W-Fish - 13 - 6 - 7 - 10 - 36

WHITEFISH SCORING - Bailey Smith 14, Jude Perry 9, Madi Gordon 6, Ainsley Scott 3, Camry Kelch 2, Carmella Alfieri 2