The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

PASCO – The Dayton girls' basketball team needed one more win to make the trip to the Hardwood Classic state finals tournament in Spokane this weekend. But in their regional game against the White Swan Cougars here Saturday, they came up short, taking a 50-41 loss, which ended their season. The Lady Bulldogs finished with a 17-5 record for the season.

The Lady Bulldogs fell behind early. Against a tenacious full-court press from the outset, Dayton couldn't get its offense going. White Swan hit three early three-point shots, and the Lady 'Dogs found themselves trailing 13-3 at the end of the first quarter.

"We knew from looking at films that they would press us early," Dayton Coach Clayton Strong said. "I thought we handled it pretty well, but we couldn't get the shots to drop. It's tough to win in the playoffs when you dig a hole like that."

In fact, Dayton played even with White Swan the rest of the way, but couldn't quite undo the early deficit. The Lady Bulldogs pulled to within a point late in the second quarter, 16-15, but a couple of quick White Swan buckets bumped the Cougar lead up to 20-15 at halftime. White Swan held a 30-24 lead at the end of three.

Dayton cut the lead to four points, 33-29, with six minutes left in the game when Sidney Andrews hit one of two free throws. But after Shayla Currin missed two free throws and the Cougars made two, plus a three-point shot, White Swan built its lead to 38-29. Dayton never got closer.

Anticipating a strong inside game from White Swan, Dayton played a zone defense most of the game. "We held their big girl inside to five points, which was what we wanted to do," said Strong. However, White Swan's Cayla Jones burned the Lady 'Dogs from the outside and at the free throw line. Jones had 28 points, including 16-for-17 shooting from the line.

"She (Jones) was 2B player of the year last year," Strong said. "She showed why."

Dayton also continued to struggle with ball control. They turned the ball over 31 times, while the Cougars had 16 turnovers. White Swan also hit six three-point shots, to one for Dayton.

Andrews had a big game for Dayton, scoring 19 points, including shooting seven for nine from the line. Currin had seven points and Madison Mings had six including a three-pointer. Mings also pulled down 10 rebounds.

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Sophomore Josilyn Fullerton goes after a rebound against a taller White Swan opponent.

For four Dayton seniors, this was the last game of their high school career. Starting senior guards Sarah Phillips and Lexie Ramirez have played together for nearly a decade. "They've been with me since I got here," said Strong. "We're really going to miss them."

Strong also praised his two senior reserves, Jordyn Lowe and Keyairah Bierman. After being gone her junior year, Lowe got considerable playing time this year as backup post.

The Lady Bulldogs will return with a strong group of veteran players next year, however. Mings, a junior, and Andrews and Currin, both sophomores, were starters all year. Sophomores Jenna Phillips and Josilyn Fullerton both had extensive playing time coming off the bench.

"We're going to come back strong next year," Strong said. "I'm just sorry these kids didn't get a chance to experience the tournament in Spokane."

Strong said that his returning players will come together in the summer and play in several tournaments. "They'll get a lot of work this summer," he said.