Lady Bulldogs drop games
to North Sevier, 49-41,
and North Summit, 69-15
By Ben Lasseter
Staff writer
1-27-2021
Last week brought tough losses for the Gunnison Valley girls’ basketball team, now 5-7 on the season and 1-3 in conference play.
On Tuesday, they hosted North Sevier (3-9, 2-1 conf.) in a hard fought game that saw multiple lead changes and ended with a 49-41 loss before travelling to North Summit (11-4, 5-0 conf.) and suffering another defeat, 69-15, on Thursday.
Notably, the team was missing senior forward Jayde Peterson, who was out with torn ligaments in her thumb, in both games. Coach Melissa Sorensen said she hoped for Peterson’s return within three weeks.
The North Sevier Wolves’ squad featured notably strong players at most positions, particularly point guard and forward. The team passed well, but Gunnison Valley’s defense gave the Wolves fits early on. The Bulldogs played hard on both ends of the floor and led 9-6 after the first quarter.
Junior forward Raven Pickett set a tone early in the second quarter with an offensive rebound that she put back in for a layup on the first possession. North Sevier, however, managed to establish a rhythm with designed plays and patience on offense and did well to block sophomore point guard Rilee Dyreng’s passing lanes. The Wolves led 16-18 at halftime.
In the second half, North Sevier slowly pulled away, though Gunnison Valley was never completely out of the game. Good possessions for the Bulldogs ended in missed shots that might have fallen on a better night. Flashes of hotter offense showed in plays like a designed corner 3-pointer that senior guard Kayzia Caldwell sank, but those were outnumbered by frustrating possessions such as ones ending in turnovers.
The home team never stopped fighting, as evidenced in a crossover by Dyreng that sent her defender to the ground hard and a violent charge that senior guard Josse Peterson took in the fourth quarter. But North Sevier was the better team last week.
Two nights later, the game was all North Summit. The Braves took a 25-4 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. They held the Bulldogs to five total points in the second half.
Next week, Gunnison Valley is scheduled to play three games. On Tuesday, they travel to Monticello (1-9, 0-5 conf.), whom the Bulldogs defeated 39-31 on Thursday, Jan. 14. On Thursday, they will host Altamont (4-5, 0-2 conf.), and on Friday, they will play at American Heritage (8-7, 4-1 conf.).
