Bulldog girls fall to Wildcats
McLouth held its own against Wathena for three quarters Saturday in the Bulldogs’ season opener, a Delaware Valley League tournament play-in game.
It was a tough first quarter, though, that kept MHS from starting the season with a win.
Wathena broke loose for 25 points in the first quarter and held a 25-2 lead going into the second.
During the next three periods, Wathena outscored MHS by just four points, but the Bulldogs couldn’t overcome the hefty deficit in the opening quarter.
“We were flat,” MHS coach Keith Miller said. “There were no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. “They came out and were in sync and were ready to play and we weren’t.
Because of a winter storm that blew through the area last week, McLouth entered Saturday’s game not having practiced for three days.
But Miller said he was encouraged by how his team reacted after being “blitzed” in that first quarter by Wathena, which had played the night before.
“We kind of woke up,” Miller said. “I was encouraged with how we fought back.”
McLouth will need to work on free-throw shooting. The Bulldogs were 2-for-18 from the line.
“You’re not going to beat anybody with that,” Miller said.
Wathena (2-0) advanced into the Delaware Valley League tournament, while the Bulldogs played Tuesday and will play again 2:30 p.m. Friday in Atchison against other teams that lost their play-in games.
“Wathena’s a good club,” Miller said. “They’ve got good balance, good inside-outside game. They start five seniors. They’re experienced. And we’re not.”
However, Miller said his young team made strides as the game progressed.
“The girls tried hard,” Miller said. “After looking at film. There are things we can get corrected. We just weren’t in position where we needed to be that first quarter.”