Dogs’ First Win

DAYTON -- Right after she scored the first two points in the game against Lacross Washtucna Friday afternoon, McKayla Bickelhaupt knew this match was going to be different than the others her team had played so far this season.

The junior, who laid it up the bucket from a steal, knew right away the Bulldogs were going to beat the Tigercats and put a "1" in the victory column next to the 8 losses from the first part of the season.

"We came out with a lot of confidence," Bickelhaupt said about the way her team took the court in the consolation match on the second day of the third annual Dayton Holiday Tournament. Beside Lacross Washtucna, the Dayton tourney drew a team from Wahkiakum and a 3A team from Kiona Benton.

"Here we go," Bickelhaupt said she thought in the opening minutes of the game. "It set the pace for the rest of the game."

In the end, it wasn't even close. The Lady Bulldogs went on to win it by 33 points 51-18 and the blowout will do a lot to boost the girls' confidence.

"It's nice to have the big monkey lifted off our backs," Dayton head coach Clayton Strong said. "Getting the first one (victory) is always the toughest."

Bickelhaupt's breakaway score was followed quickly by another steal by Courtney Fuller and a Shelby Smith lay-up. Pretty soon, the entire team was forcing turnovers and dunking it in the Tigercats' bucket.

"We all scored," Bickelhaupt said. "We played really well together as a team. We worked hard and our offense is coming together."

With some tight passing under the basket, Nicole Lambert, Sumara Miller and upand coming freshmen Sarah Phillips and Lexi Ramirez piled on additional points before the quarter ended, 14-5.

Again, Bickelhaupt sparked the scoring in the second quarter, this time with a trey, while moments later, the Bulldogs' defense forced a Tigercats shotclock violation with a bombproof protective shield.

The Tigercats were by no means to hardest team to beat in the tournament. On Thursday, the Wahkiakum Mules scored the then by a similar margin, 63-35.

But the Lady Bulldogs were ready for any win, even a non-league victory, to turn the tide of losses and pick up their momentum for the rest of the season.

By the end of the second quarter, the scoring chasm had widened to 28-9 in favor of the tenacious Bulldogs. Lambert opened the scoring after the break. The third period saw several breakaways, some coast to coast, before the quarter ended with the girls up, 40-15.

Strong's team would add another 11 points in the fourth quarter to win the game, 51-18. When they headed to the locker room, Dayton fans applauded and flooded them with congratulations.

" It feels pretty good," Strong said about his team's victory. "I'm more happy for those girls than I'm satisfied for myself, knowing the effort they put in at practice and the way they stayed together through all those losses."

Dayton vs. Kiona Benton 30-52

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