Balanced scoring and success from long range lifts Bowman County past Lemmon

BOWMAN — On some nights, you live and die by the 3-pointer.

The Bowman County Bulldogs were full of life Friday night.

Fresh off a defeat to Beulah Thursday night, Bowman County’s girls’ basketball team got right back on the court at home, taking on Lemmon, out of South Dakota.

The Bulldogs have enjoyed success on the court so far this season. They entered Friday night’s contest 11-3 with a 6-1 record in Region 7 and held the No. 10 spot in the latest media poll.

Their strategy against the Cowgirls was to let it fly from the perimeter, which powered their offense to a 67-48 triumph.

“We can go inside and out,” Bowman County co-head coach Jaden Schoch said. “Hopefully if one isn’t working or one is below average we can go to the other. We have a lot of talented kids inside and out. Hopefully at least one group is on”

A mini three-point shootout was in the making in the first quarter. Lemmon and Bowman County combined for five 3-pointers. The Cowgirls scored the first eight points of the game.

Bowman County freshman guard Sophia Headley and sophomore guard Jaci Fischer both hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter to quickly catch up to Lemmon, which would be an early sign of things to come.

The Bulldogs pulled ahead later in the first quarter to end it with a 17-11 lead. They maintained their lead in the second quarter due to forced turnovers by them and some long rebounds translating to open looks on the other end in transition.

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But Lemmon sophomore guard Allie Kohn’s big second quarter kept the game from getting out of hand. She had 13 points in the quarter with three 3-pointers. She would account for over half of her team's points on the night, finishing with 27.

It stood 38-27 Bowman County at the half.

The Bulldogs hit three more 3-pointers in the third quarter, all by different players. Senior guard Jayda Miller joined the party along with Headly and Fischer from long range.

It’s hard to have a more balanced scoring attack than Bowman County’s performance Friday night. Miller was the lowest scorer out of the six that did, with nine points. The only player to have more than two field goals in a quarter was junior forward Ellie Powell with three, coming in the third.

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“We hope that we have multiple threats,” Schoch said. “It’s hard for a defense to guard all five players if they’re moving and capable of scoring. We try to emphasize that. We think we have a lot of players that can do that, just need to have the confidence to continue to take shots and know they’ll be ones that help our team win.”

That kind of balance is what makes the Bulldogs so difficult to guard, not only tonight, but for the rest of the season.

Bowman County held a 14-point lead going into the fourth quarter where they outscored the Cowgirls 13-8.

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Powell led the Bulldogs in scoring with 14. Headley and Fischer each had 12. As a team they hit seven 3-pointers.

In Region 7, Bowman County currently sit in third, below Beulah (6-1) and Glen Ullin-Hebron, who have yet to lose in region play (6-0). The Bulldogs will host the Bearcats on the final day of the regular season on Feb. 12.

“We’re starting to settle in,” Schoch said. “The biggest thing we were hoping for is improvement throughout the year and for them to know how to play with each other because it’s a new group and they’re getting better at it every game.”

BOX SCORE

Scoring - Bowman County: Ellie Powell 14, Jaci Fischer, Sophia Headley 12, Raegan Honeyman, Andrea Radakowski 10, Jayda Miller 9; Lemmon: Allie Kohn 27, Jaedyn Byre 9, Mikailah Byre 8, Kelly Lynch, Macy Schiley 2.