When the buzzer sounded ending the Bulldogs’ quest for a sectional title, it might have been of little consolation they had 17 wins this season.
The Frankton Eagles had the momentum and continued their sectional reign with a 56-41 win over the host ’Dogs.
“I honestly can’t pinpoint it specifically. A couple plays didn’t go our way, and it went south pretty quick,” Lapel coach Zach Newby said.
Turnovers, missed shots and early foul trouble put Lapel in a position where every possession counted. While it fought for every basket, it also had to contend with Frankton’s Lauryn Bates, who scored from everywhere on the floor and ended the game with 20 points.
“We battled back, but we just didn’t play as well as we wanted to,” Newby said.
Lapel jumped to an 8-2 lead to open the game, but Frankton went on a 7-0 run mid quarter. By the end of the first, Lapel was down 10-12.
In the second quarter, missed shots, costly turnovers and foul trouble made for a disastrous Bulldog frame, and the team went into the locker room with the Eagles leading 29-17.
The Bulldogs’, shooting improved in the third quarter, closing a 16-point gap to nine, 30-39. However, the Eagles’ Bates scored seven, including a 3-pointer to end the quarter, giving the Eagles a 44-30 lead.
In the final eight minutes, despite Eagle turnovers and a hot streak by Ashlynn Allman, Frankton’s lead stretched beyond overcoming in the final minutes.
“We talked before the season and said you can’t base the success of your season on whether you win a sectional,” Newby said. “We were having so much fun; we didn’t want it to end.”
Allman led Bulldog scoring with 14, and Madelyn Poynter had 13.
Earlier action
The Wapahani Raiders had nothing to stop Lapel’s Deannaya Haseman as she and her Bulldogs teammates earned their way to the sectional final by defeating the Raiders 68-49 on Feb. 5.
Lapel joined several area sectional sites who had to shift their semifinal games to Saturday because of the winter storm.
Haseman led the Bulldogs in scoring. She had 18 by the end of the first half, with eight coming from the charity stripe. Allman had 13 points and 16 rebounds. Jaylee Hubble was the third Bulldog in double figures with 10.
Lapel made it the semifinals by first defeating Elwood 75-14 on Feb. 1.
