Lady Bulldogs peel off two wins to start year
Matt Harris
Staff writer
1-12-2017
GUNNISON—The Lady Bulldogs varsity basketball team experienced a shift in their fate, and it happened just in time.
After a long period of struggle, the Lady Bulldogs eked out two wins against American Leadership Academy (ALA) and Grand County, 29-21 and 36-35, respectively. The win against ALA marked the first win for Gunnison in seven tries dating back to Dec. 8.
“Our team is still learning each week and each game,” head coach Melissa Sorensen said. “The past week…was good for our development.”
The heroine of the week was sophomore Jaida King, who led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring in both games. Gunnison is 2-1 so far in January and 4-9 on the season.
Against ALA, the Lady Bulldogs only made seven shots in regulation but took advantage of 14 completed free throws to overthrow the Eagles. King led the team with seven points. Despite the low score, 10 different Bulldogs scored in the game.
Although Gunnison then dropped a game against San Juan, 45-28, they got back to winning with a thriller against Grand. The game looked to be in Grand’s favor with Gunnison down by six at the beginning of the fourth. A rally in that final quarter brought the Lady Bulldogs back into it in the final seconds.
It was then when with 14 points already in the low-scoring game, King scored the most important two points of the year so far. As the clock expired, King put in the points to seal a victory for the Lady Bulldogs. King finished with 16 points, while freshman Kezzley Winn added 10.
“[The win] showed the girls that if they continue to work hard and keep at it, rather than getting down, they can fight and win close games,” Sorensen said.
With the recent results, Gunnison is 1-1 in region play. They played Emery last Tuesday and will host rival Manti tonight at 7 p.m.
