Sandpoint drops third place game at state to end season

BOISE — Caldwell took down Sandpoint 44-29 in the 4A state third place game Saturday morning.

The loss ended the Bulldogs season, but Sandpoint underwent a remarkable turnaround this year under second year head coach Will Love. In 2019, the team went 5-15 and missed out on a trip to state for the first time in five years. This season, the Bulldogs won the regional title by sweeping Lakeland two games to none in the championship series and finished with a mark of 17-9. This was also the first time since 2016 that Sandpoint won a game at state after going 0-2 in 2017 and 2018.

“A lot of people weren’t expecting it from this group ... but the girls worked hard in the summer and each day in practice,” Love said after the loss. “They grew as players and as a result, they came together as a team. When we went on that run, it was really impressive. In most cases, we were undersized and a bit slower, but you can’t measure their heart and they played with a lot of heart.”

It was truly a season to remember and the team has plenty of talent coming back to make another run at a state bid next year.

Sure the Bulldogs are losing seniors Dawson Driggs, Maddie Morgan, Brooklen Steiger, Izzo Edwards and Aly Lish, but juniors Hattie Larson, Bella Phillips, Kaylee Banks, and freshmen Kelsey Cessna and Daylee Driggs all played significant minutes for Sandpoint this season. Clearly the future of the program is bright so don’t expect the team to take a step back next year.

“We’re starting to develop more depth, and starting to see it come up,” Love said. “Our depth just keeps growing and growing, and I’m really excited about the future. I know Moscow and Lakeland are going to work hard, but we’re going to do everything we can next year to come away with a trophy.”

In Saturday’s game, Caldwell jumped on the Bulldogs early as Sandpoint struggled dealing with the Cougars full-court press. Caldwell entered the second quarter with a 14-8 lead and once again the Bulldogs went on a long scoring drought just like they did in Friday night’s semifinal game against Bonneville.

For nearly seven minutes, Sandpoint was held scoreless and the Cougars took advantage by building a 23-8 lead. Junior Bella Phillips ended the drought on a layup with about a minute left in the half. Those were the only points the Bulldogs scored in the second quarter.

Then early in the second half, the Bulldogs attempted to mount a comeback and thanks to 6 points from senior Maddie Morgan were able to cut the Cougars’ lead to 28-20 with 3:30 left in the third. But that was as close as Sandpoint would get. Caldwell went on a 12-3 run to close the quarter to take a 17 point advantage into the fourth.

Both teams struggled from the field in the final eight minutes as the Cougars held on to claim the third place trophy.

“Caldwell’s a good team, and we struggled with the pressure they put on us in the first half,” Love said. “We were kind of slow out of the gate, which is bound to happen on Saturday morning at state, and we couldn’t catch up. At halftime, we put together a nice run and cut the deficit down. We just had too many turnovers and were 0 for 13 from the 3-point line. Our free-throw shooting has bugged us all weekend, and we finished 5 of 15 at the line. But I’m proud of the effort the girls put forth this weekend. They represented Sandpoint and North Idaho really well.”

Morgan led the team with 8 points and Larson added 7 points and 11 rebounds.

Sandpoint 8 2 13 6 — 29

Caldwell 14 11 15 4 — 44

SANDPOINT — K. Cessna 3, Lish 2 Day. Driggs 0, Morgan 8, Daw. Driggs 1, Edwards 0, Gammon 0, Steiger 2, Lyons 0, Phillips 4, Larson 7, Platte 0, Banks 2, R. Cessna 0. Totals 12-37, 5-15.

CALDWELL — De La Cruz 3, Bower 2, Coffin 0, Campos 4, Ruiz 0, Williams 2, Dennett 0, Martinez 15, Vallejo 3, Schatz 0, Kennedy 7, Moore 8. Totals 16-48, 8-14.