DN girls earn 46-33 victory over Bandon

The Del Norte High girls varsity basketball team bounced back from a loss with a solid 46-33 victory against Bandon, Ore., Saturday at a tournament just over the border in Brookings.

After struggling on offense in a 27-21 loss to Myrtle Point, Ore., on the first day of the tournament Friday afternoon, the Warriors were a much more focused team, head coach Buzz McCulloch said.

“It’s builds their confidence up a little bit,” he said about the win. “It’s certainly a morale booster. We had less turnovers this time and passed a lot better. We played a lot more of a solid game.

A key reason was that baskets were going in, which has been a problem in the three previous games, McCulloch said.

Two key contributors were juniors Taylor Cleland and Emma Card.

Cleland, a point guard, had 15 points, all on 3-pointers, while Card, who plays in the post, had 14 points.

Del Norte improved to 2-3 overall with the victory.

Things started off a bit slow as the game was tied 8-8 after one period of play. Del Norte  trailed at the half 12-10.

“We missed a few shots in the first half,” McCulloch said. “In the second half we were able to go down the court more quickly in transition and made our shots.”

The Warriors have this week off. McCulloch said this will give them a chance to work out the kinks in their game such as its free throw shooting. Against Bandon, Del Norte went 1-for-10 from the charity stripe.

“We can’t shoot 10 percent from the line, especially against better teams,” he said.

The Warriors resume play next Monday at a three-day tournament  in Bandon, where they will first face Blanchet Catholic School  of Salem, Ore.,