Lady Coyotes Compete Hard, Fall in District 3C Tournament

The basketball season came to an end for the Lady Coyotes in Glasgow at the 2023 3C District Tournament last Friday, February 17.

The Lady Coyotes lost 50-39 to the Nashua Porcupines in the opening game of the tournament on Wednesday, February 15. Dodson then lost 53-45 to the Lustre Lady Lions in overtime last Friday.

In the team's loss to Lustre, junior Kataya KillEagle had 22 points, five rebounds, and two steals.

Senior Lindsey Fetter had eight points, 15 rebounds, and three assists. Freshman Lilyian Turnsplenty had five points and two rebounds. Freshman Jazlyn KillEagle had four points, senior Emma Cole had four points, and Kylee Ball had two points.

The Lady Coyotes fell behind 7-5 at the conclusion of the first quarter, but bounced back in the second period outscoring Lustre 20-13. The halftime score was 25-20 in favor of Dodson.

Dodson maintained their lead by the conclusion of the third quarter, outscoring The Lady Lions 7-5. After several calls that were questioned by the Lady Coyote faithful and many on social media, the Lady Lions went on to tie things up in the fourth quarter to force overtime by scoring 16 points and holding Dodson to nine. The Lady Lions outscored Dodson 12-4 in overtime.

"A few very one-sided calls did seem to hinder the momentum we carried from the first half," Coach KillEagle said. "We could go on about the iffy calls but what gets me is the three-pointer that was clearly behind the line, was ruled a two. We ended up tied with one second left, after a very questionable foul call that sent Lustre to the line to tie it up but the score was not right.

"I feel heartbroken for my girls because they played a nearly perfect game and earned that win," Coach KillEagle continued.

Despite the rough ending, the Lady Coyotes came onto the court with more confidence against Lustre than they had in their loss to Nashua.

"I think that loss to Nashua was a hard pill to swallow and we hadn't planned on that, so going into the loser out game against Lustre it was heavy on our minds," Coach KillEagle said. "I do believe that's where the motivation came from."

In the team's loss to Nashua, the Lady Coyotes were led by KillEagle who had 21 points and four steals. Jaymiee Stiffarm had four points. J. KillEagle had three points, Turnsplenty had two points, and Fetter had one point and six rebounds.

Nashua outscored Dodson 26-21 in the first half. Dodson responded after the break by scoring 13 points in the third quarter while holding Nashua to six. Dodson led 34-32 at the end of the third, but Nashua dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring Dodson 18-5.

Coach KillEagle was able to finish the season by leading the Lady Coyote and Coyotes. He issued a statement of pride in both teams.

"I am very honored to have had the opportunity to head coach two varsity teams who worked very hard," Coach KillEagle said. "It was a pleasure to see the growth. The kids were all complimented tremendously on their hard work and discipline and as a coach that is so good to hear. It wasn't all for nothing, because that attitude goes a long way. I am very proud of what we did with these two programs. Good work Lady Coyotes and Coyotes!"