Colfax Bulldogs dust off Reardan in hoops opener

REARDAN — The Colfax Bulldogs went to Reardan for the season hoops tip-off and came away unscathed.

The Bulldog varsity boys pounded the Reardan Indians 67-34, while the varsity girls used a stout zone defense to pull away in the second half of their game 41-24 in both team's opening game on May 15.

The Colfax boys started strong and never looked back, jumping out to a 15-5 lead in the first quarter. They were forcing turnovers and getting out in transition as Reardan struggled to get past the zone defense. The Bulldogs got their hands in passing lanes to create easy shots.

The game was never close. As the end of the third quarter neared, Colfax led 50-15 before emptying its bench in the fourth quarter and letting the whole team get some playing time.

"They've got arguably two of the best scorers in the league, while we're just trying to figure out how to play together," Reardan Coach Brian Graham said.

Both teams had just a week of practice to prepare for competition, but Colfax's experience from last year's run to the 2B state playoffs showed early.

"The kids came out and played with a high level of energy," Colfax Coach Reece Jenkin said. "I know everyone was nervous and we haven't played for a really long time, so being able to get out in transition and get a couple buckets and see something go through the basket made a difference."

John Lustig led Colfax with 19 points, while Seth Lustig added 15 points.

Reardan was topped by Tristo McCrea, who scored 10 points.

The girls' game was gritty, sloppy and tight-knit in the first half. Reardan entered the post with Lilly Nowlin to establish its early offense.

Colfax was in a man-to-man defense, Reardan struggled with shooting outside shots. Recognizing this, Bulldogs Coach Mike Dorman switched to a zone defense to clog the paint and live with Reardan taking three-pointers, which the Indians couldn't convert on.

"We were having some trouble communicating on our man-to-man and I just felt more comfortable with our zone overall," Dorman said. "The girls seemed more comfortable with it and we communicated better out of it."

Colfax's suffocating defense allowed the Bulldogs to pull away after they led just 15-12 in a clunky but intense first half.

Reardan, meanwhile, struggled to maintain offensive consistency throughout the game.

"We're young, and we've had five practices, so we just considered this a practice game," said Reardan Coach Justin Flaa, who was making his head coaching debut with the program.

"We made a lot of small mistakes. We didn't block out ... and we're learning a new defense, so we had some breakdowns in that," Flaa said.

Colfax was paced by the scoring duo of Abree Aune and Jaisha Gibb, who scored 15 and 13 points respectively.

Colfax has its home opener May 18 against Kettle Falls.