The Becker Lady Bulldogs’ basketball season ended at the hands of the Zimmerman Thunder last Saturday night in Buffalo in the Section 5AAA playoffs.

 

The final score was 74-67 in overtime.  

 

The Thunder used a high pressure defense to secure the victory.  They were led by Alyssa Daugherty, who tallied 31 points.  

 

“She hit some huge shots,” said Becker Head Coach Dan Baird.  

 

Becker held a seven-point lead with about five minutes to go in regulation. However,   Daugherty canned a three which seemed to be the turning point in the game and trimmed the lead to two.  

 

Moments later, Zimmerman stole an inbounds pass and scored to tie the ball game.   

 

Becker's Lexi Masog attempted a three-pointer  with eight seconds left that would have practically sealed the win, however the shot bounced away and the Thunder secured the rebound. They scrambled down court to try and win the game in regulation, but their shot was missed and the game headed to overtime.

 

In the extra session, Zimmerman’s Demie Bond hit a huge three-pointer that ignited the Thunder comeback.  The Thunder players made the shots when they needed while Becker succumbed to the pressure. Zimmerman put their experience on display in the last 10 minutes of the overtime to fortify the win and move on in the playoffs.  

 

With the loss, the Bulldogs’ season came to an abrupt end.

 

Bond was second for Zimmerman with 13 points, while Makayla Pool added 12.  

 

“Makayla showed a lot of determination by fighting through injuries throughout the game,” said Baird.  “Ilea May had 11 points and hurt us with her aggressiveness and rebounding.”

 

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by eighth grader Julia Bengtson, who tallied 14 points. 

 

“Julia never gave up in this contest despite getting hounded by Zimmerman's relentless pressure,” said Baird.  

 

Bengtson hit a huge three-pointer in overtime keeping Becker in the contest.  Becker eventually cut the deficit to one, then failed to score in the last few minutes of overtime.  

 

“It was a bad time to go cold and turn the ball over,” said Baird.  

 

Masog excited the Bulldog fans by connecting on four three-pointers and 12 points. Courtney Nuest continued her excellent play by contributing 10 points on offense.  

Haley Benda had a great game as one of the team’s leaders, handling the moment and calming the Bulldogs down when things got hot.  Benda eventually fouled out and with that, the Bulldogs seemed to lose their edge from that point on.  

 

“I'm proud of our girls.  We never gave up, played hard, took a 24-3 team to overtime and improved throughout the season,” the head coach said.  “We have a bright future but it’s always tough to lose and have the season come to an end.  At least we went down competing.”

 

Baird’s team will only be losing one player to graduation, that being senior Claire Thorn.

 

Becker scoring:  Bengtson 14, Masog 12, Nuest 10, Madi Kerzman 8, Thorn 8, Renee Tripp 7, Benda 6 and Alayna Lindquist 2.

 

Zimmerman scoring:  Daugherty 31, Bond 13, Pool 12, May 11, McKenna Upton 4 and Olivia Williams 3.