Bainville Defeats Cowboys, 45-33

The Bainville Bulldogs kept their season alive with a hard-fought 45-33 win over Culbertson in loser-out action at the District 2C boys’ basketball tournament in Sidney on Friday.

The Bulldogs were holding on to a slim 30-29 lead after three quarters of play and earned some breathing room when Parker Berwick hit a turnaround shot and Holden Salivar scored off a pass from Evan Anderson to start the fourth period.

Culbertson pulled to 34-31 on a drive by Ian Snyder with 3:58 remaining.

After Anderson scored two straight baskets for the Bulldogs, Culbertson’s Cal Steppler fired in a 16-footer to close the margin to 38-33 with 2:12 left.

Two free throws and a baseline shot by Berwick helped put the game away for Bainville.

Berwick led the Bulldogs with 22 points.

Top scorers for the Cowboys were I. Snyder with 13 and Maurico Mena with eight points. Culbertson’s Brooks Solem struggled with foul trouble the entire game and was held to six points.

A baseline shot by Kaiden Holmes, who played a strong defensive game, put Bainville up 13-9 late in the first quarter. Solem scored on a drive with six seconds left for a 1311 game.

Three-point shots by Mena and Kaden Featherston produced a 19-17 lead for the Cowboys in the second quarter, but Bainville responded with baskets by Rowan Wilson and Berwick.

I. Snyder scored late in the half for a 21-21 deadlock.

Another three-pointer by Mena put the Cowboys ahead 28-26 with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter. After hoops by Berwick and Wilson, I. Snyder made a free throw to pull the Cowboys to 30-29 at the end of the third quarter.