Things looked good for Paynesville in the first quarter. The Bulldogs came fired up and pushed the ball up the court. NL-S was only up by one at the end of the first quarter, 13-12.
During the second quarter, however, the Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 18-4, going into halftime with a 31-16 lead.
In the second half, the Bulldogs picked up their defense and only allowed six third quarter points. But Paynesville couldn't answer back, and committed many turnovers in their half court offense. NL-S won by a score of 53-21.
"NL-S plays a tough 2-3 zone, where they can have three girls standing at 6' 1" and taller," said coach Pat Deegan.
Leading the Bulldogs was Tanya Lieser with 12 points and Carin Frenchick with 11.
| Paynesville-- | 12 | 4 | 5 | 10 | - 31 |
| NL-S-- | 13 | 18 | 5 | 10 | - 53 |
Paynesville 48
St. Cloud Cathedral 40
On Thursday, Paynesville played host to St. Cloud Cathedral and beat them for the first time in many years, 48-40.
Things didn't look good for the Bulldogs in the first quarter as they trailed 10-3. In the second period, the Bulldog rallied to tie the score at the intermission, 17-17, with the help of Steph Krupke's eight points.
A 14-6 Bulldog advantage in the third period proved to be the final margin of victory for Paynesville.
The Bulldogs connected on 15 of 34 shots from the field including 3 of 8 on treys. Paynesville also hit 15 of 23 free shots in the win, including 11 of 12 in the fourth quarter. "The free throws in the fourth quarter (were) the big difference," said coach Deegan.
Leading the Bulldogs was Steph Krupke with a career high 18 points, four assists, and three steals. Tanya Lieser and Carin Frenchick added 14 and 12 points, respectively.
| Cathedral-- | 10 | 7 | 6 | 17 | - 40 |
| Paynesville-- | 3 | 14 | 14 | 17 | - 48 |
Paynesville 55
BDRSH 49
On Saturday night, Paynesville headed to Renville to play BDRSH. The Bulldogs beat the Tigers 55-49.
BDRSH was without three of their starters on Saturday. Two players were injured, and one was competing in a pageant. The Bulldogs didn't take them lightly, however, with the score tied at the end of the first quarter 14-14.
During the second quarter, Paynesville blew them away by outscoring them 21-6. Tanya Lieser had 21 of her 26 points in the first half. The Bulldogs went into halftime with a 35-20 lead.
The Bulldogs let BDRSH back in at the end of the game. With two and a half minutes to go, Paynesville's lead was cut to four, but that was as close as it came. Paynesville held on to win a 55-49 decision over the Tigers.
Leading the Bulldogs was Tanya Lieser with a season high 26 points, 16 rebounds, and seven blocked shots. Carin Frenchick added 10 points.
With the victory, the Bulldogs raised their record to 8-6.
| BDRSH-- | 14 | 6 | 10 | 19 | - 49 |
| Paynesville-- | 14 | 21 | 8 | 12 | - 55 |