LAKE HUNTINGTON – It was a chilly night after a weekend snowstorm this past Monday when the Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs hosted the Tri-Valley Lady Bears for a girls basketball game. Both teams played in the tournament in Livingston Manor over the weekend but didn’t get a chance to play against each other, so it was bound to be a great game. The Bears took home a 44-18 win over the Bulldogs. 

The first quarter opened with impressive back-to-back blocks by Sullivan West’s Ella Herbert. But even through Herbert’s defense Tri-Valley was able to score twice early on including a deep three from Jenna Carmody. Jordan Dymond of the Bears picked up a coast to coast and-one floater to put Tri-Valley up 7-0 with four minutes left in the quarter. 

At the three-minute mark the Bulldogs’ Sammy Hellerer was able to get a quick steal and dump it off to Ella Herbert for an easy layup for their team’s first basket. The quarter ended with Sullivan West down 7-2 but the energy on the court was palpable and the second quarter was sure to be a close one. 

Both teams played very well in the first quarter but Tri-Valley had a slight edge with their shots dropping that helped them establish an early lead. Tri-Valley was the first to score in this quarter off an inside pass into a layup in the paint to make the score 9-2 in Tri-Valley’s favor. Allyson Chevalier from Tri-Valley scored a deep floater that was quickly answered by Sullivan West’s Meghan Kelly. After two foul shots made by the Bulldogs’ Ella Herbert, Tri-Valley ended the quarter with a few more buckets to go into halftime up 17-6 over Sullivan West. 

Tri-Valley opened the third quarter with a full-court press, but Sullivan West was able to break through to score multiple times under the basket. Kaitlin Stungis and Avery Carrier helped widen Tri-Valley’s lead to 29-8 after sinking two 3-point shots. The Bulldogs’ Ella Herbert scored a couple of inside layups followed by a massive block. Tri-Valley held a 31-12 over Sullivan West heading into the final eight minutes of the game.  

In the final quarter after a few minutes of no scores Tri-Valley was able to end the streak at the four minute mark. Tri-Valley continued to sink their shots, widening their lead to 42-16 in the final two minutes. The final score was 44-18 with Tri-Valley grabbing an on-the-road win over Sullivan West. 

TV Coach Jason Closs said, “It was a good division game. Sullivan West is very scrappy. It was a little close for comfort in the first half but it opened up in the second half. Our conditioning certainly played dividends for us. I’m excited for our next game with them.”