PREP NOTEBOOK: Solid play lifted Bulldogs to win

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The past two seasons have seen the Bowman County girls basketball team consistently in the Class B state media poll, often getting each team’s best effort every night.

Now, Kent Harding’s girls are on the other end of the spectrum.

The Bulldogs, who returned just one starter, dealt No. 6-ranked New England its first loss of the season on Tuesday. Bowman County led the entire game en route to the 43-38 win.

“It was a huge game for our kids,” Harding said. “It’s one of our biggest wins, beating a very good team.”

Bowman Couny led 12-6 after the first quarter and was up by four at halftime. That lead was pushed back to six at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth, New England made a small run to get within two, but the Bulldogs held firm.

“We handled the ball down the stretch, hit some free throws,” Harding said. “It was a huge confidence builder, showing that we can play with the best teams in the area.”

Point guard Megan Naico had a career night, pouring in a game-high 25 points.

“She’s stepping into her own right now,” Harding said. “She’s never been a big scorer – never had to do a lot of scoring. She’s taken on a new roll and has evolved into that role.”

Bowman County improved to 5-4 and plays at Scranton today while New England drops to 9-1 and plays at Beach.

Headed up north

The Dickinson boys hockey team plays a pair of West Region contests this weekend as the Midgets play at Minot on Friday and Bottineau on Saturday. They are looking for revenge as they fell to Bottineau 2-1 and Minot 1-0 at home earlier this season. Dickinson is tied for fifth place in the region standings and has an overall record of 4-7.

The Dickinson girls hockey team plays at Mandan tonight and at Jamestown on Saturday.

Trinity playing in Jamboree

Both Dickinson Trinity squads are playing in the Civic Center Jamboree in Bismarck on Saturday. The boys are scheduled to compete against Washburn at 8:30 a.m. while the girls play Kidder County (Steele-Dawson) at 8:30 a.m.

The boys take on Heart River at 7:30 p.m. tonight while the girls travel to Killdeer for a District 14 matchup.

Items of interest

The DHS gymnastics team competes in Wahpeton on Saturday … The Midgets wrestling team is going to Sidney, Mont., for a wrestling tournament on Friday and Saturday.

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