'Dogs struggle in conference games

The Bulldogs boys basketball team took a few steps back last week after consecutive losses against conference foes Ronan and Libby.

Despite the team's recent woes — they are on a six-game losing streak and sit at the bottom of the conference standings with Ronan — Bulldog coach Mark Casazza says the team is still fighting and keeping their heads high.

"The guys are coming into practice on Monday and are still going hard," he said.

Against Ronan on Jan. 28, Connor Silliker dropped 15 points and Mac Roche added 13 in strong offensive performances, but the 'Dogs still fell 60-56.

"We came out flat and were flat the whole game," Casazza said. "They were so quick, we had a tough time matching up with them defensively."

Whitefish traveled to Libby on Jan. 30 for the two teams' first meeting of the season.

Kelly May scored 15 points to lead the Loggers to a 48-38 win in the back-and-forth game.

The Loggers went on a 9-0 run in the second period to take a seven-point lead into the half. Whitefish countered with a 9-0 run of its own to take a two-point lead in the third quarter, but a strong fourth period by the Loggers buried the 'Dogs' chances of a comeback.

Casazza said his team battled hard in Libby, but foul trouble limited their chances at the end. He said senior Drew Galbraith continues to impress with his tenacity in the low post.

"Drew is improving every week, and that's huge," Casazza said. "We threw him to the wolves, and now he's starting to get more comfortable."

The 'Dogs face Eureka and Frenchtown this week — two teams Whitefish should be able to compete with.

"It will give the guys some confidence if we can win those games," Casazza said.