LAKE HUNTINGTON – The Lady Bulldogs hosted the Lady Crusaders of Monroe-Woodbury on Saturday, February 3 in what was a key test for the home team. The Lady Bulldogs ultimately lost the game, 54-42. 

“We lost by twelve points, but it was a lot closer than a twelve-point game,” Coach Pat Donovan said.

The Lady Crusaders got off to a quick start as they took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Sullivan West couldn’t find the bottom of the net until 2:24 remaining in the opening quarter when Ella Herbert made a layup for her first of three baskets in the contest. But what the Lady Bulldogs were able to do throughout the game was stick with Monroe-Woodbury. At the end of the first quarter, Sullivan West was down 13-11. 

The second quarter opened up with the Lady Bulldogs snagging their first lead after Sophie Flynn knocked down a three-pointer for the 14-13 lead. The quarter saw several lead changes, but Sullivan West would end the first half again trailing, 24-19. 

“We just chipped away the whole time,” Coach Donovan said. 

Monroe-Woodbury started to pull away in the third quarter and had a 30-23 lead with 2:21 to go. But after a Sullivan West timeout, the Lady Bulldogs started to close the gap with strong defense, shot looks and putbacks. Going into the final quarter, they were trailing just 32-30. 

Nicole Reeves scored seven of her 13 points in the third quarter, after two three-pointers in the first quarter. 

Sullivan West struggled to stop the Lady Crusaders in the final quarter, which ultimately did them in. Despite scoring their most points of any quarter with 12, they also surrendered the most points of any quarter with 20. 

Monroe-Woodbury had a 45-36 lead with 2:52 to go, and once again the Lady Bulldogs got to within striking distance. Sullivan West got to within 49-42 with 52 seconds to go. But in a big momentum swing, a charging foul was called on the Lady Bulldogs which took all the air out of the building. 

“[The call] was borderline and it could’ve gone both ways,” Coach Donovan said. “Of course, I want it my way and Coach [David] Powers wants it his way. Officials saw it differently, so it is what it is. I got a little mad, but things happen. Nothing personal.”

At that point, it was desperation time for Sullivan West, as they went into press defense and immediately fouled if they couldn’t get the steal. The Lady Crusaders knocked down a majority of their shots from the charity stripe and iced the game. 

Leading the Lady Bulldogs in scoring was Abby Parucki, who scored 16 points, which included three makes from behind the arc in the fourth quarter. 

With the loss, the Lady Bulldogs drop to 9-4 on the season and 2-1 in league action. 

“We got a lot of experience tonight,” Coach Donovan said. “We played very well tonight. We had some dumb turnovers, but to play a school that size and be competitive until about two minutes to go in the game [is great].”