Bulldogs pick up 10th win of season, toppling Lewiston 51-38
SANDPOINT — On senior night, the Sandpoint girls basketball team led from start to finish in a 51-38 win over Lewiston on Monday.
The Bulldogs rolled out a starting lineup filled with their five varsity seniors; Aly Lish, Maddie Morgan, Dawson Driggs, Isabel Edwards and Brooklen Steiger.
You could tell each one had a little extra pep in their step and were prepared to show out for friends and family on the special night.
Head coach Will Love said this group of seniors has done so much for the team over the last four years and had an impact since they put on a Bulldogs jersey.
“The thing about this group is the perseverance they’ve shown,” he said. “They didn’t let last year get them down. They’ve worked really, really hard ... We couldn’t have been here without these seniors. They’ve had such a big impact on our program and getting us back to the success we want to have on an annual basis.”
With the help of their seniors who all played together for half of the opening quarter, Sandpoint pounced on the Bengals early forcing eight turnovers to grab a 29-21 lead after one.
Junior Bella Phillips opened the second quarter with a 3-point play for the Bulldogs; grabbing a rebound, converting a layup off the glass and knocking down a free throw.
Sandpoint grabbed a 26-12 lead at one point in the quarter but the Bengals clawed their way back to trail by 8 points at the half. Driggs tallied 12 points in the opening 16 minutes.
The Bulldogs continued their impressive defensive outing holding Lewiston to just 4 points in the third quarter to build a 16 point advantage.
The fourth quarter started sluggish for both teams as the Bulldogs went scoreless for nearly half of it. But Sandpoint held on to claim its third straight victory.
Love was pleased with his team’s effort given the unusual circumstance of having to play a Monday afternoon game on a day with no school.
“There’s definitely some things we have to work on,” he said, “but anytime you can beat a 5A team as a 4A, that’s a great night. You can’t complain about that.”
This is Sandpoint’s first win over Lewiston in at least 10 years.
Driggs stuffed the stat sheet notching 19 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Freshman Kelsey Cessna added 12 points and senior Maddie Morgan scored 9.
The Bulldogs (10-6) head to Kellogg 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Sandpoint will be looking to complete a season sweep of the Wildcats after defeating them at home 46-41 on Dec. 14.
Lewiston 8 13 4 13 — 38
Sandpoint 16 13 12 10 — 51
LEWISTON — Collins 6, Albright 6, Foss 2, Bursch 0, Wilkins 3, Barrey 7, Ortiz 4, Johnson 7, Burkeza 0, Wesself 3.
SANDPOINT — Cessna 12, Lish 0, Day. Driggs 0, Morgan 9, Daw. Driggs 19, Edwards 3, Steiger 0, Phillips 3, Larson 3, Platte 0, Banks 2.