Nobody was adding points to their region records, but both Bowman County and Region 8 team Stanley came out firing on all cylinders Saturday afternoon. The game was close, but in the third quarter the Bulldogs took a strong lead to carry them to the final buzzer.
Bowman County head coach Nick Walker said that he likes the direction his team has been moving and that today's game confirmed it.
“When you set your non-region schedule you hope you get to play really good teams and Stanley certainly fits the bill,” Walker said. “Stanley is really good, their coaches do a great job and they got some really good players so this is a good win for our young team.”
The first quarter saw the Bulldogs staggering from behind, finishing in a eight-point deficit, but a rally in the second quarter led by sophomore guard Bishop Duffield with 12 points, drew them closer. Bowman County tied it back up at 23 with four minutes left in the first half.
Though the Bulldogs made up for lost time, the Blue Jays still kept the lead going into the third quarter at 35-29. It wouldn't last as the shots from Bowman County kept on coming, accumulating a whopping 29 points in the third quarter.
Sophomore guard Aidan Thompson was on fire from three-point range, making nothing but threes in the second half, tallying 12 points. He finished with 14 in the game.
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It was once again near the four minute mark when Bowman County had a pivotal moment taking the lead 42-40 and then went on a 16-4 run. Their ball pressure on defense assured their lead stayed intact at the start of the final quarter with the score at 58-44.
Stanley made a good attempt to overcome their deficit with 16 points in the fourth quarter, but it ended in favor of the Bulldogs.
Duffield was Bowman County leading scorer with 23, followed by Kyler Paulson with 21.
The Bulldogs took home not just a win, but the pride of rising above in a well-competitive match.
“It was a good team that we just played and our kids battled hard … Any coach would tell you this time of year that you are hoping you’ve improved and I think we are,” Walker said. “We are a very young team, we have nine sophomores on the varsity roster and we are getting better by the day.”
