Bulldogs dominate visiting Maidens
<p>Courtney Clairmont sets up the offense for the Ronan Lady Bulldogs. </p>
ST. IGNATIUS – Thursday night’s game between the Ronan Maidens and the Lady Bulldogs of St. Ignatius showcased both scrappy and sloppy play, as the Bulldogs were able to pull away late in a 37-29 victory.
The dynamic duo of Loren Erickson (19 points) and Stephanie Lewandowski (13 points) proved to be too much for the Maidens, whose fourth-quarter surge fell just short.
The first half was hampered by inconsistent play by both teams. The Maidens managed to commit 18 turnovers in the first-half while only scoring 10 points (two in the first quarter).
“Turnovers killed us,” said Ronan’s head coach Clayton Curley. The Maidens were pestered all night by the Lady Bulldogs two-three zone and also committed a fair share of unforced turnovers. However, St. Ignatius was unable to capitalize on Ronan’s mistakes while early foul trouble and just two second quarter points by the Lady Bulldogs kept the score close.
But in the second half, the Erickson-Lewandowski combination was too strong for the Maidens and both Coach Curley along with his Maidens struggled to find answers.
“Those two players can score 20 points each on you on any given night,” said Curley, whose pre-game strategy was to focus only on containing Erickson and Lewandowski, while letting the rest of the team roam free. “We’re definitely going to change the game plan next time we play,” said Curley.
Ronan was able to cut the lead to 33-29 late in the fourth, but two pairs of clutch free throws by Erickson secured a Lady Bulldog win.
Aspen Jore led the Maidens with 13 points. The loss along with another defeat Saturday to Plains dropped the Maidens to 5-4 overall, 2-2 league and put them in second place in the B District 6 standings.
Saturday, St. Ignatius traveled to Troy where the Lady Bulldogs turned in a stellar defensivee effort for a 38-21 win. The Lady Bulldogs were again led by their two standout stars, Erickson – who put in 10 points – and Lewandowski, who poured in 22. The Lady Bulldogs led 26-6 at halftime, behind Lewandowski’s 14 first-half points.
The two victories over Ronan and Troy give the Lady Bulldogs a two-game winning streak and a 4-5 overall, 1-2 conference record, good for third in the district.