Late surge propels Bridgeport girls to District Final win

LEXINGTON, NE — The Bridgeport Lady Bulldogs trailed at multiple points in the fourth quarter, but a strong finish helped Bridgeport to a 52-44 victory over Clarkson/Leigh in the C2-5 District Final Friday night.

The Lady Bulldogs advance to the NSAA Girls Basketball State Championship Tournament next week. It's Bridgeport's first appearance in the tournament since 2010.

After a bit of a slow start on both ends, Bridgeport climbed its way to a 9-3 lead late in the first quarter. Clarkson/Leigh, however, shut down the Bulldog offense the rest of the quarter to tie it up. 

Patriots senior Alissa Kasik then hit a three right before the buzzer sounded to give Clarkson/Leigh a 12-9 lead heading into quarter two. 

Bridgeport took the lead back early in the second quarter, holding the Patriots scoreless for almost the first three minutes of the period. In total, Clarkson/Leigh only mustered six second quarter points. 

A late second quarter three-pointer by freshman Brooklyn Mohrman helped Bridgeport secure a little breathing room before the break. The Lady Bulldogs led at the half 22-18. 

Out of the break, Bridgeport got two quick buckets by sophomore Ruthie Loomis-Goltl and sophomore Olivia Loomis-Goltl to take an eight-point 26-18 lead. It was the largest lead of the night at that point for the Lady Bulldogs. 

Clarkson/Leigh responded with a 7-0 run to trim the Bridgeport lead down to one.  After that, the Bulldogs settled down, only allowing one more Patriots bucket while increasing their lead back to five. 

Heading into the final period, Bridgeport led 32-27. 

It wouldn't last long, however, Clarkson/Leigh came out firing in quarter four and took the lead at 35-34. The teams would then trade the lead back and forth for a bit. 

Then Ruthie took over. The sophomore fought through contact multiple times in the paint, drawing three and-one opportunities in the final frame. She converted two of those three chances as Bridgeport held a thin 42-40 lead late in the game. 

After that, Bridgeport never trailed again. The Lady Bulldogs converted their free throws down the stretch and Ruthie continued to convert in the post. A 9-1 run gave Bridgeport its largest lead at 51-41 with just over a minute left. 

A late three by Clarkson/Leigh's junior Kennedy Settje was too little too late and Bridgeport came away with the 52-44 victory. 

Ruthie led the Lady Bulldogs with 21 points while Olivia added 14. Sophomore Mackenzie Liakos scored 11 points in the game. Each of them also had four fouls in the game. 

Freshman Chloe Hanel paced Clarkson/Leigh with 11 points. Kasik added 10 for the Patriots. 

Bridgeport (23-3) will play in a quarterfinal game at the state tournament in Lincoln, Neb. on Wednesday, March 3. The game will be played at Lincoln Southeast High School. All semifinal and championship games will be played at Pinnacle Bank Arena. 

Clarkson/Leigh is denied a second consecutive trip to the state tournament with the loss. The Patriots end their season at 20-3.