DICKINSON - A hot-shooting first half helped the Bowman County girls basketball team overcome a stagnant second half Monday afternoon during their Region 7 tournament quarterfinal game against Beulah.
District 13's top seed more than doubled Beulah's output on the scoreboard in the first half, but couldn't seem to find their groove in the second half.
Nonetheless, Bowman County hit its free throws down the stretch and the Miners couldn't do much to chip away at the sizeable lead, giving the third-ranked Bulldogs a 50-37 victory at Knights of Columbus Activities Center.
"(Against Beach) we are going to have to have a lot more focus," Bowman County coach Kent Harding said.
The third-ranked Bulldogs (21-1) move on to play Beach at 6 p.m. today in the semifinals.
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Beulah, which entered as the fourth seed out of District 14, did its best to make sure that didn't happen, quieting the Bulldogs and outscoring them 21-17 in the second half.
However, Miners coach Clarence Winfrey believed Bulldogs senior guard Mandi Palczewski's early explosion helped influence the rest of the game.
Palczewski scored all 12 of her points on four first-quarter 3-pointers.
"That kind of gave them a little cushion," Winfrey said. "Playing against a team like that and playing from behind, that makes it hard on you."
Palczewski hit three 3s from the right wing and another from the top of the key and missed only one 3-pointer in the quarter.
However, she didn't get many other shot opportunities, something Bulldogs coach Kent Harding regretted.
"Some of it comes from trying to play a few more people and keep legs fresh a little bit," Harding said. "... She gave us a huge boost there. Hitting those shots was big."
After Palczewski's outburst, the Bulldogs turned to senior forward Abby Nasset, who finished with 22 points and eight rebounds.
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Nasset got into the lane and created opportunities in the second quarter. The District 13 player of the year scored 12 points in the second.
"They understood what they needed to do," Winfrey said. "They were on a mission."
Nasset scored five points in the final minute of the first half to give Bowman County a 33-16 halftime lead and added the first four points of the second half. After that though, the Miners started to chip away.
Careless plays in the fourth quarter led to Bowman County turnovers and Beulah took advantage, cutting the lead to 45-29.
But in the end, the Bulldogs didn't let Beulah get too close. The Miners didn't score in the last 1:45 of the game.
"They out muscled us, that's a fact," Winfrey said. "We had our chances at the beginning of the game to keep it close. I've got to give kudos to Bowman."
Bowman County 50, Beulah 37
B 9 16 22 37
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BC 16 33 41 50
B: Karsen Little Soldier 12, Carissa Stuer 8, Kelsey Kraft 7, Jessie Battest 4, Mahri Schumacher 4, Emmie Miller 2.
BC: Abby Nasset 22, Mandi Palczewski 12, Lindsey Tivis 6, Megan Naico 4, Brittany Anderson 2, Allison Hanson 2, Jenna Olson 2.
3-pointers: Battest, Palczewski 4. Free throws: B 6-8, BC 10-15. Total fouls: B 17, BC 9. Rebounds: B 25 (Kraft 11), BC 26 (Nasset 8). Assists: B 3 (Schumacher 2), BC 1 (Naico). Steals: B 8 (Schumacher 4), BC 10 (Palczewski 2, Tivis 2). Turnovers: B 21, BC 16.
