Bulldog guard Nathalie Lagamayo hits a short jumper in the paint to force overtime during the Dawgs matchup with Pahrump Valley. Photo by Lou Martin

The host Virgin Valley High School Lady Bulldogs got a free pass to the semi-finals of the Bulldog Invitational Friday night as Cheyenne High School failed to show up for their game. The forfeit set up a match against Pahrump Valley Saturday morning. The Trojans dispatched 1A Wells High School on Friday night to reach the semis. The shorthanded Lady Dawgs, never led in the game, as they could not put an offense together until the fourth period. The Dawgs leading scorer was missing which put the Dawgs in a hole. The Bulldogs trailed 8-4 after one period in a sloppy game. The Trojans increased their lead to 17-12 at the break. Alexis Boatwright led the Dawgs with four points.

The Trojans upped their lead to 26-18 after three periods as the Bulldogs continued to struggle. The fourth period was all Bulldogs as their defense held the Trojans to two points for the period while putting up 10 points to tie the game at 28 forcing overtime. Bulldogs Nathalie Lagamayo and Jessie Barnum had four points each in the period. The Trojans scored the four points to lead 32-28 before Lagamayo hit two to cut the lead to 32-30. The Trojans called a timeout with 17 seconds left in the game. The Dawgs forced a turnover and had one last chance for a win or tie. Lagamayo’s jump shot failed to hit the mark but was fouled on the attempt. Her first free throw was good but the second bounced off the rim giving the Trojans a hard fought win 32-31. The Trojans went on to defeat Moapa Valley in the championship game 45-43 on a three point shot at the whistle. The Lady Dawgs meanwhile were crushed by pre-tournament favorite Panguitch (Utah) 52-14. The Lady Dawgs will next play at the Gator Winter Classic next weekend before hosting new 3A member Sky-Pointe on January 10.