The lady Bulldogs finished their regular season at home to Elmwood Park in a must win game for the girls. A win would guarantee a first place spot in Conference, along with a spot at Regionalsl. The girls came out fierce as they were up 7-2 in the first quarter, and extended their lead by 19-9 at the half. Senior Night would become one to remember, as the Bulldogs clinched the Conference title by beating Elmwood 56 to 23. Senior Hannah Claywell led the charge with 12 points, but close behind were Kaija Bole and Angela Comicho with 10 points apiece. The Conference champs would then be hosting Chicago Kenwood in the Regional Semifinals.
The girls were up quick and saw themselves with a 15-6 lead over Chicago Kenwood thanks to Janea Dabney, who contributed 8 points. Kenwood would fight back in the second quarter and tighten the score to 19-18 going into halftime. The third quarter would see the Bulldogs lose steam, as Kenwood took the game right to the Bulldogs by building 28-26 lead. The fourth quarter is when the girls clicked back into gear and came out on top to win the Regional Semifinal over the Pirates. The inspired performances of both Claywell and Dabney pushed Bulldogs to fight hard, as Dabney lead the team in points with 16 and Claywell scored 5 crucial points in the 4th. It was a great victory for the Bulldogs, as it would take them to their Regional Final against tough opponents Proviso East.
Proviso entered the game with a 1-6 record in their conference, but managed to keep their playoffs hopes alive against a thriving Bulldog squad. Proviso took the lead early in the Regional Final with a 20 to 11 advantage in the first quarter. The second quarter would be more of the same, as Proviso extended their lead 35-22 over the Bulldogs. Claywell would step up her game and score 10 of her 19 points in the 3rd quarter to cut the Pirates lead down to 3.The Dogs would make the fourth quarter a grand finale, as the Bulldogs missed a few key shots, which cost them as they came up short in the last nine seconds to Proviso, who won the game 52-50.
“I thought the season went really well and we only came up just short in the Regional Championship game but I couldn’t be happier with the girls and I felt like we overachieved this year, for this only being my second year coaching,” said head coach Dallas Till.
The girls had a great season with 24 wins and just 5 losses. The girls have a season to remember, as they claimed some hardware in the both the Bill Vandemerkt tournament along with the Argo Tournament.
“I love it, one of the best seasons in the school history. and I couldn’t be happier with the great group of girls who made the season very enjoyable,” said Till.
The Bulldogs will return a solid crop of contributors, including sophomore Janea Dabney and junior Caroline Waas. The loss of Claywell and Brittney JnoBaptiste will certainly take a toll on the team as they try to find their identity early in the season. These Bulldogs have a bright future and several budding stars who are ready to take the reins.
