No. 11 Lady Wolverines see book close on season, as No. 6 Byron-Bergen starts red hot with 22-point 1st quarter to fuel 64-36 Class C2 Opening Round victory

BYRON — With five of the six opening round battles originally scheduled to get underway Wednesday night now off the table until the next day, that left one battle on the docket waiting to be decided. That belonged to the No. 11 Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg, who made the trip up north through the rain, snow and ice to visit No. 6 Byron-Bergen in opening round battle of the Class C2 Tournament.

With a chance to continue their Sectional journey into the weekend, the Lady Wolverines would have to act quickly. But for the Lady Bees, they had other plans instead, as they posted their strongest effort of the night right from within the first eight minutes, holding Bolivar-Richburg to just seven points while capitalizing on a 22-point frame back the other way to set the tone in what was a 64-36 win to advance into the Quarterfinal round.

A slew of Lady Bees all pitched in to contribute to the team’s hot start that gave them the tone-setting edge right away, paving the way down low, while Kendall Phillips knocked down a pair of three-pointers along the way to jumpstart a 22-7 lead of Bolivar-Richburg (7-14) that they would never relinquish throughout the night.

“I am really proud of how much my girls have grown this year,” said Lady Wolverines coach Hadley Ferris. “They have come a really long way, and although they’re still young, I can see their confidence growing each day. We are all going to miss Malayna’s (Ayers) presence next year, she was a great addition to this team. The younger girls could not have asked for a better leader to help guide them. I am looking forward to what’s to come in the future.”

In what was her final game in Bolivar-Richburg colors, the Lady Wolverines were led by their lone senior in Malayna Ayers, who recorded 11 team-high point performance that included three of the team’s four three-pointers from outside. Following up behind was Raegan Giardini and Carmen Crowley, as each bucketed eight points.

Bolivar-Richburg’s season has officially reached its conclusion, as they wrap up the campaign with a record of 7-14 overall.

Bolivar-Richburg 7 12 6 11 – 36

Byron-Bergen 22 17 17 8 – 64

BOLIVAR-RICHBURG: Nadia Baldwin 1 0-0 3, Emma Sisson 1 0-0 2, Jaelyn Kinnicutt 1 0-0 2, Raegan Giardini 4 0-0 8, Carmen Crowley 4 0-4 8, Rylee Whiting 1 0-0 2, Malayna Ayers 4 0-0 11. Totals: 16 0-4 36.
BYRON-BERGEN: Ava Wagoner 3 1-1 7, Dayanara Caballero 6 0-0 14, Carlee Barons 1 0-0 2, Kendall Phillips 5 0-0 12, Zoey Shepherd 2 1-1 5, Janessa Amesbury 3 0-1 6, Olivia Senf 2 0-0 6, Gabby Graff 6 0-0 12. Totals: 28 2-3 64.

3-point goals: B-R 4 (Ayers 3, Baldwin), B-B 6 (Caballero 2, Phillips 2, Senf 2).
Total Fouls: B-R 7, B-B 7. Fouled out: None.