The seventh-ranked Le Mars girls basketball team suffered an upset loss in the regional tournament to the defending 3A state champion Sioux Center Warriors by the score of 62-48 on Saturday night.
It was a strong start for the Bulldogs who led 10-4 after the first four minutes. After that, the Bulldogs and Warriors traded baskets and runs for a majority of the first half. Head coach Sidney Baumgartner says the Bulldogs were moving well on the offensive end.
Le Mars suffered a big setback in the second half getting outscored 15-6 in the third quarter to go down 10 points heading into the fourth. The Warrior lead grew to 18 points at its largest point in the fourth quarter. Le Mars never threw in the towel and fought to get it back down to nine but ran out of time in the end. Coach Baumgartner says that shows the drive that the Bulldogs had all season.
The Bulldogs graduate a senior class that saw a lot of playing time with some starting three and four years in a Bulldog varsity uniform. Coach Baumgartner says they will leave behind an excitement for the program that trickles down to the younger players.
The Bulldogs end their season with a record of 18-4 and graduate seven seniors off the roster. Sioux Center will be at No. 15 Humboldt for the region final on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
