Bulldogs fall to St. Maries in home opener

SANDPOINT — Nothing went right for Sandpoint boys basketball on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs shot less than 20 percent from the field and could never recover from a 30-12 halftime deficit against St. Maries.

The clock started running in the fourth quarter as the Lumberjacks secured a 57-26 win.

“We did not show up ready to play and that’s on me,” head coach Wade Engelson said.” St. Maries came out and they were more physical. We didn’t rise to that challenge.”

It wasn’t the home opener the Bulldogs were hoping for and the Lumberjacks were relentless all night.

St. Maries jumped out to a lead in the opening minutes and Sandpoint could never stop the bleeding. The Bulldogs had their fair share of open looks at the basket, but were unable to convert them.

Sandpoint only knocked down two 3-pointers and six free throws in the game. They also turned the ball over 23 times.

“They just outplayed us in every facet of the game,” Engelson said. “We got out there and St. Maries just got us out of what we normally do and what we’ve done against every other team that we’ve played.”

Max Frank, Darren Bailey, Stone Lee and Randy Lane each scored 5 points.

Frank also had five steals and three rebounds. Engelson said the freshman is getting better every game.

“He had a lot of positive moments both on offense and on defense,” Engelson said. “He’s a tough competitor and worked hard.”

Lane also gave the Bulldogs some good minutes off the bench.

“He’s more confident as a player,” Engelson said, “and he’s attacking the rim and getting some good looks, and I thought he made a positive difference.”

The Bulldogs are filled with youth and continue to grow every minute they step on the court. Engelson said this game was definitely a learning experience.

“As disappointing as our performance was, this is an opportunity for everybody to sit there and do some self-reflection and say, ‘Hey, what can I do better, what can I do more of,’ and I have to do a better job,” he said.

The Bulldogs (2-3) host league rival Moscow at 7 p.m. Friday.

St. Maries 16 14 18 9 — 57

Sandpoint 7 5 6 8 — 26

ST. MARIES — Sands 5, Ross 0, Becktel 7, Badgett 0, Gentry 11, Stancil 6, Elliott 0, Wicks 1, Gibson 14, T. Renner 1, C. Renner 10, Hill 2, McMaster 0.

SANDPOINT — Roos 2, Pettit 0, Frank 5, R. Lee 0, Eldridge 2, VanDenBerg 2, Bailey 5, S. Lee 5, Larson 0, Lane 5, Butler 0.