Haxtun Lady Bulldogs battle for back-to-back wins last weekend

The Haxtun Lady Bulldogs came out on top in back-to-back barnburners this weekend to improve to 6-8 overall this season. The team picked up a third win over the Holyoke Lady Dragons at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling on Friday and a one-point win over Leyton in Nebraska on Saturday.

“We are so proud of how hard the girls worked this past weekend! They never give up,” said Alicia Schram, Lady Bulldogs Head Coach. “They truly believe in each other and in their abilities as a team. They have developed a refuse to lose attitude. Joyce Meyer said, ‘We don’t grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges.’ Challenges just make us stronger!”

Haxtun came up short by three points at the end of the first quarter on Friday night, giving the Lady Dragons an early advantage. Holyoke added nine in the second while the Lady Bulldogs put up five just before half time. The Lady Dragons held the led throughout the third quarter, adding three more than Haxtun before the fourth. However, the Lady Bulldogs weren’t done and fans saw first-hand the fight in Fightin’ Bulldogs. The Lady Bulldogs held Holyoke to just two points in the fourth quarter while putting 17 points on the scoreboard to come back for a 35-30 league win.

“The Holyoke girls shut down our inside game, but that allowed our outside shooters to put up some great shots. Huge team win all the way around. It’s hard to beat the same team three times in a season,” said Schram.

Junior Heily Avery led the Lady Bulldogs in points against the Dragons. She hit two fourth-quarter three pointers and one two-point shot to give Haxtun a late game advantage and end the night with eight points. Samantha Seger scored seven points followed by Bobbi Starkebaum, Kelsie Hadeen and Cassidy Goodwin, each with four. Grace Gibson and Cassidy Goddard each registered three points.

Starkebaum led under the basket with 13 rebounds. She pulled down seven on defense and six on offense. Goodwin brought down five rebounds followed by Hadeen with four.

Emily Anderson, Starkebaum, Hadeen and Gibson each tallied two assists.

The following night the girls’ team traveled to Nebraska to take on the Leyton Lady Warriors. This time, the Lady Bulldogs started with a 11-5 advantage after the first quarter. Haxtun added another 15 points on the board in the second while holding the home team to eight for a 26-13 score at the half. Leyton came out on fire after the break, putting 18 points on the board to narrow in on the scoring gap. As the final minutes ticked away, both teams exchanged lead changes and baskets going down the wire. As the final buzzer sound, Haxtun held the advantage, 43-42.

“Leyton was a tough team with an 11-3 record. Two of those losses came at the hands of the same team. It was fun to go and get that win,” Schram said.

Three Lady Bulldogs put double-digits on the scoreboard on Saturday led by Goddard with 16. Anderson added 11 followed by Starkebaum who registered 10.

Starkebaum led in rebounds with a total of 15. She nabbed six on offense and nine on defense. Goddard pulled down seven rebounds followed by Anderson and Goodwin, each with three.

Anderson tallied three assists while Hadeen added two. Anderson also led in steals with five.

This week, the Lady Bulldogs will host two league matchups. Action kicks off on Friday with a contest with the Lady Buffs from Caliche. The two teams met earlier this season and ended with a nine-point win from the Buffs. The following day, Haxtun will host Wray. Games start at 4 p.m. on Friday and at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“We have been focusing on controlling the speed of the game and playing as a team. We also work hard on having a strong defensive base and starting off strong. The rest of our schedule is tough, but we look forward to the challenge and seeing what the girls can do!” Schram said. “We are most proud of our tenacious defense and our ability to persevere. It shows their hearts are truly in it! We have three very short weeks of regular season left. We are excited to continue the climb!”