Strong second half gives Bulldogs the win

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

SANDPOINT — After what first-year Sandpoint coach Brian Childs thought was a sluggish start, his team stepped it up in the second half.

Rusty Lee scored seven of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter for the Bulldogs, who moved past the Priest River Spartans 64-50 on Tuesday at Les Rogers Court.

“We were a little lethargic in the first half,” Childs said. “It probably wasn’t the prettiest game. We’d make a run and they’d close the gap and we’d have a hard time getting separation from them.”

Sandpoint outscored Priest River 36-24 in the second half.

“Our intensity was a lot better in the second half,” Childs said. “We started to get some of those 50/50 balls and put a run together. Priest River played well and had a lot to do with how we played in the first half.”

Parker Childs scored 12 points for Sandpoint (2-4), which faces Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls next Tuesday in the West Valley tournament in Spokane.

Blake Barrett scored 30 points for Priest River (4-3), which opens the Parma Holiday Tournament against the host school on Dec. 28.

Priest River 8 18 8 16 — 50

Sandpoint 12 17 13 23 — 64

PRIEST RIVER — Mathews 11, Butler 3, Marinello 2, T. Engelson 0, Barrett 30, Z. Engelson 0, Berns 0, Thompson 4, Gamber 0.

SANDPOINT — Lee 13, Eldridge 11, VanDenBerg 5, Dunkel 2, Dickinson 7, Childs 12, Lane 9, Kuehn 2, Butler 4.