Bulldogs begin quest for state tonight

SANDPOINT — An old sports axiom says it’s tough to beat a team three straight times, regardless of the sport or level. The Sandpoint girls basketball team is hoping that is indeed the case, when they head south tonight to face Lakeland in the 4A Region 1 girls basketball tournament opener tonight.

The No 3 seed Bulldogs (7-13) lost both regular season meetings against the No. 2 Hawks (10-10), including a recent 39-33 loss in which the Bulldogs trailed by just two points heading into the fourth quarter before falling short.

So how do the Bulldogs finally break through for their first win against a 4A North foe?

“Take care of the basketball,” said Bulldogs head coach Lance Bruce of the key to tonight’s game. “Lakeland plays a lot of different presses and they’re very good at that. We have closed the gap, but now need to finish.”

The Bulldogs will also need to contain the Hawks’ Neena Buchmann, who scored 22 of her team’s 39 points in the last meeting, mostly by fighting through screens and limiting her shot attempts.

Leading the Bulldogs offensively will be junior post Maggie Kirscher, who averages 11 points per game and leads her team in rebounding. Hailey Olin has reached double figures in scoring six times this season, and Charissa Chatburn, Jordan Speelmon and Natasha Roop can also carry some of the scoring load.

At this point in the season all three 4A teams are well acquainted with each other’s style and tendencies, and execution ultimately will decide who lands the lone berth at state.

“This is when the fundamentals come out,” said Bruce, who hopes to attack the Hawks’ press for some easy buckets. “It’s all as one for this team, playing together as one on both ends of the floor.”

Tip off is at 7 p.m. at Lakeland High School. The winner will face No. 1 Moscow (5-14), which like Lakeland went 3-1 in 4A North play and earned home court advantage via tie-breaker.