“The girls had two hard fought battles over the weekend,” coach Travis Baumann said. Big Sandy beat Fort Benton 52-48! “A huge conference win! The Lady Pioneers started with great aggressive play from Keira Galbavy to set the tone early. Galbavy had a big board and bucket. Big Sandy started in a press, and Fort Benton tried to frazzle the Lady Pioneers with a half-court set. Jai Baumann made a 3-pointer, with another Galbavy board and bucket to follow. Galbavy also had 2 steals back to back, causing the Lady Longhorns to turn the ball over but putting the Lady Pioneers in an early lead. Eva Yeadon could not be stopped, capitalizing on three made 3-pointers. The Lady Pioneers were up 18-15 going into the 2nd quarter.
Galbavy again started the quarter strong, scoring an AND1. The Lady Longhorns struggled with making shots but had good patience, which benefited them and pulled them back into the game. Both teams pushed the ball up the floor and got fast break situations. Another 3-pointer by Yeadon put the Lady Pioneers back by 3 points. Baumann and Galbavy both had steals, but the Lady Pioneers struggled to finish on the opportunity. The Lady Longhorns hit a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter to go into the half tied up at 25.
The 2nd half started with foul trouble for both teams. Baumann had an incredible drive and dish to Alex Worrall for a nice bucket. Yeadon had a nice take and finished with an AND1. Fort Benton did not give up and also knocked down some big 3-pointers. Back-and-forth hustle on both teams and some great drives and takes made for fun-filled minutes of watching two good teams go it. More great offensive plays and made 3-pointers from Yeadon, and Baumann put the Lady Pioneers in the driver’s seat. The game slowed at the end, with both teams heading to the free-throw line. The Lady Longhorns had a couple of opportunities at the end, but they couldn’t finish. The Lady Pioneers beat the Lady Longhorns by 5 with a final score of 52-48. “Angie Sant and Keir Galbavy played their best ball of the season.”
Big Sandy also beat DGS in overtime 56-54. Without senior starter Eva Wagoner, so Maddie Gasvoda stepped in and “played great defense for our team”. “We had big contributions off the bench from Alex Worrall and Jenny Sant.” The lady pioneers started in a press, but DGS scored a three-pointer. DGS also started in a press, but with good ball movement from the lady pioneers, Keira Galbavy got a bucket. DGS followed with a three-pointer and a nice take to the basket. Jai Baumann had a great steal, but DGS controlled the boards in the first quarter. DGS scored off of a dribble drive and a long two-pointer. Eva Yeadon had a steal and a fast break layup, but DGS followed with a three-pointer taking the lead by 6. The Lady Pioneers also scored with a Yeadon pass to Galbavy for two and a Baumann out-of-bounds score. DGS scored on a last-second shot in the first quarter, taking the lead 18 to 11.
Galbavy had some big boards in the second quarter with putbacks, and some great hustle plays. Baumann and Gasvoda had some big steals to try and slow down DGS, but DGS had a great dribble drive action offense that allowed for penetration to the key and kickback for 3-pointers. Both teams had a back-and-forth effort, but the Lady Pioneers went into halftime down 10 with a score of 17-27.
The second half started with a Baumann 3-pointer and the Lady Pioneers holding DGS scoreless for the first two minutes. Angie Sant had some big rebounds and buckets down low. But DGS was still hitting from the outside. Big Sandy outscored DGS 11-7 in the 3rd quarter, putting the Lady Pioneers within reach.
4th quarter with great patience offensively for DGS, but Big Sandy had great pressure defensively. Back-to-back buckets for both teams, great drives and kicks to shooters, and great rebounds made for a fascinating 4th quarter. Yeadon had an incredible drive to take the lead in the game with 1:40 left. After a free throw and a last second shot by DGS, the end of the regulation score was 44-44.
Overtime was very aggressive, with both teams shooting free throws. Back-and-forth hustle plays, jump ball situations, and missed opportunities for both teams. Big Sandy did not give up and gave it their all, leaving it all on the court, which is why they prevailed with a victory of a final score of 56-54. DGS is ranked #2 in their conference.
Travis said, “We play two huge games this weekend against #5 Box Elder in Box Elder on Friday, and hom Saturday against #2 North Star! They should be some amazing games!”
