Haxtun girls fall short at Regionals

Despite a hard-fought, first half battle, the Haxtun Lady Bulldogs suffered a season-ending loss to the Merino Lady Rams in the first round of Region 2 Tournament action at Englewood High School on Friday afternoon.

The third meeting of the two teams again went to Lady Rams, who advanced in Regional play the following day.

Briggsdale took a 26-point win in that contest, ending the Rams season just shy of the State Tournament slated for later this week.

"This was an exciting week of basketball for our team," Head Coach Arlan Scholl said. "The send-off for our team was really great and we all enjoyed being led out of town by the police and fire trucks. The Booster Club and our Haxtun fans have been great all year and we all appreciate the support and the food that was provided all year long."

Haxtun came out hot, putting 12 points on the board in the first quarter, holding a one-point advantage going into the second quarter. The battle continued in the second, where the Lady Rams would gain the lead to hold a three-point benefit at the half.

The third and fourth quarters were a struggle, offensively, for the Lady Bulldogs as they managed only 16 points in the second half while the Lady Rams ran away with a 58-40 win.

"The Regional game against Merino was a hard-fought game, but we just fell short in the second half," Scholl said at the conclusion of the Regional Tournament. "The girls played hard, as usual, but it just was not meant to be on this day. As the head coach of this team, I feel very blessed to have been given the privilege to work with this great group of fine young ladies. My Assistant Coach Alicia Schram has been a wonderful help to me and has helped our team to grow and improve in so many ways."

The team finished the 2019-2020 season with an overall 9-14 record and with a District Runner-Up title after knocking off number one ranked Idalia Lady Wolves heading into the post season in the second round of Districts.

The Lady Bulldog roster included four seniors this season, Brooklyn Davis, Alli Kilgour, Kylie Mavis and Kaitlyn Maxwell, who will all graduate during commencement ceremonies later this spring.

"I look forward to having the opportunity to continue to work with this Lady Bulldog basketball program and watch what can be accomplished as we continue to improve," said Scholl.