Bulldog girls escape LRS with Garcia shots

Colfax girls booked two pressure wins over the weekend for a 2-0 start in the NE competition. The first league weekend ended Saturday night at Ritzville when Taylor Garcia iced two toss shots for a 51-49 win to avoid an overtime game. The two shots came in the last half second after LRS launched a charge in the last quarter.

"I think an overtime would have not been very good for us," coach Corey Baerlocher commented. He noted Colfax always faces a tough battle at Ritzville, and this round was no exception with the Broncos again hitting the court with a big, physical team.

Friday, the Bulldogs defeated Liberty 69-60, on the home court after the Lancers also worked hard the second half to erase an early Bulldog lead in the first half of the league opener.

Saturday at Ritzville, Colfax poured on the coals in the second quarter to stack a 31-22 lead over the lady Broncos at halftime. Carmen Gfeller, who finished with 27 points, hit 22 in the first half. Gfeller kept hitting early in the second quarter, but she had to sit down with a finger injury, and LRS began to make up ground.

Colfax still had a 40-33 lead after the third quarter, and Ashtyn Aune hit a bucket and a toss shot to put the lead back up to 10. The Broncos bounced back and were within three points when Aune canned a threebie with 2:30 left in the game. That put the score at 49-43, but it also marked the last bucket from the field.

Tessa Jantz hit two more buckets for LRS, and Peyton Curtis dropped two toss shots to tie it a 49-49.

That pointed to an overtime battle, but an LRS defender fouled Garcia as she brought the ball down the court. She went to the line on a one-and-one chance and bagged the first one for a 50-49 Colfax edge. She followed that with the second shot.

Aune and Garcia each finished with nine points for the Bulldogs.

Curtis was the high point player for the Broncos with 15.

The Broncos marked a lean night at the toss line with just seven points, while Colfax picked up double that amount. The Broncos booked 36 rebounds, 10 more than Colfax.

Colfax lost Gfeller, who finished with 27 points, to a hand injury early in the third quarter. Coach Baerlocher said Gfeller, who had 16 of 17 straight points scored by the Bulldogs in one run, will be out of action for a while to allow her hand to heal.

Baerlocher noted the Bulldogs showed a lot of energy in the league opener Friday at home, and, at one time, had a 29-11 lead over the visiting Lancers.

Each team added 14 points in the third quarter, and Liberty cut five off the Colfax lead in the last frame before the game finished out at 69-60.

Gfeller hit 23 points against the Lancers, and Christine Denney hit 20 to lead the guests.

Aune finished with 13 for the Bulldogs with a trio of three-point shots.

Colfax Friday will face a St. George's team which posted a 16-point win over the same LRS team Colfax battled Saturday night. The Dragons have started the season with Ceci Berquist and Kate Tender on the injury list, but they still took the win over Broncos.

Colfax 69-Liberty 60: 19-9 16/12 14/14 25/20: Piper Cai 3 (3pt) 4-7 11, Ashtyn Aune 3 (3-3pt) 4-4 13, Katelynn Scholz 2 (both 3pt) 0-0 6, Carmen Gfeller 10 3-8 23. Sidney Sheer 0 1-2 1, Kylie Gronning 1 2-2 4, Taylor Garcia 3 (3pt) 4-4 11. Total: 22 18-27 f-26 66. Liberty: Madelynne Flag 4 5-6 13, Christine Denney 5 (2 3pt) 8-12 20, Hailey Marsh 5 (3pt) 0-0 11, Maggie Nelson 3 2-4 8, Abby Karlis 1 6-8 8. Total 18 21-36 f-25 60.

Colfax 51-Lind/Ritzville/Sprague 49 14/15 17/7 9/11 11/16; Cai 0 1-2 1. Aune 3 (2-3pt )1-2 9, Scholz 0 1-2 1, Gfeller 9 (3pt) 8-13 27, Sheer 1 1-2 4, Garcia 3(3pt) 2-2 9. Total 16 14-23 f-15 51. Lind/Ritzville/ Sprague: Felicia Zemir 2 1-1 5, Peyton Curtis 4 (3pt) 6-8 15, Teresa O'Brien 1 (3pt) 0-0 3, Tommi Swannack 6 0-0 12, Tessa Jantz 5 0-1 10, Kalie Harder 2 0-0 4. Total 20 7-10 f-19 49.