Bulldogs girls basketball start 2023-24 season hot

COLFAX - The Colfax Bulldogs girls opened their defense of the WIAA 2B state title with two tough games.

The Bulldogs opened their season at home against the Freeman Scotties on Thursday, Nov. 30.

Colfax is in the 2B classification, where as the Scotties are in the larger 1A class.

The Bulldogs won the state championship last season and the Scotties finished sixth.

The Bulldogs would control the game from start-to-finish, taking the 51-43 victory to start their title defense.

In the first quarter the Bulldogs led 6-4 before the Scotties took a timeout. The quarter would end with a 14-9 lead for the Bulldogs.

Brynn McGaughy scored seven points in the first quarter and Ava Swan added two points.

In the second quarter, Colfax jumped to a quick 19-12 lead before Freeman took a timeout. They would lead 23-14 heading into the halftime locker room.

Colfax would come out of the locker room slow, letting the Scotties come back and cut the lead to one before the Bulldogs would take a timeout.

The game would be tied at 26 before Hailey Demler would score five quick points to help Colfax lead 34-31 with a quarter to play.

Swan would score four quick points in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs closed out the game, winning 51-43.

McGaughy would finish the game with her first double-double of the season, she had 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Demler had 11 points and seven rebounds and Lauryn York had three assists in the game.

"I was proud of how our girls battled and didn't fold when they made a run to tie the game. This game showed me glimpses of mental toughness, something we've been working on for the last couple of seasons," said Colfax head coach Jordan Holmes.

The second game of the week for the Bulldogs was played on Monday, Dec. 4. The game was played in Colfax and was against the Warden Cougars.

The Bulldogs knocked off the Cougars in the 2023 state playoffs semifinal game last season.

This time around, the Cougars got the better of the Bulldogs, winning 55-50, evening the Bulldogs record at 1-1.

Colfax led 17-9 after the end of the first quarter, and went into the halftime locker room up 27-19.

The third quarter saw Warden cut the lead to two before pulling away late for the victory.

McGaughy had 14 points and Demler had 18 for Colfax.

The next game for the Bulldogs will be Thursday, Dec. 7. The Bulldogs will host Clarkston with the girls game set to start at 6 p.m.