GIRLS BASKETBALL | 'I want to make history at Dalton': Bulldogs roll in regional semis

PERRY — "It’s always better to win ugly than to take a pretty loss."

Those were the words of coach Katie Miller to her team at halftime during Dalton's Div. IV Perry Regional semifinal matchup with Bristol.

They listened, as the Bulldogs went on to survive a physical 50-38 battle with the Panthers and earn their third regional final appearance in five years. With the win, Dalton will play Buckeye Central, who beat Springfield 61-28 in the other regional semifinal, on Saturday at Perry High School at 7 p.m.

Leading the way for the Bulldogs from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer was junior Ella Lunsford, who put together one of her finest nights yet. The junior wing, who a year ago was more of perimeter player, has shown a nifty tweak to her game this year — attacking the rim. Thursday, that proved to be huge as she went inside again and again.

“We knew that we had the shooters on the outside, but we knew they were kind of weak on the inside and that they would trap the corners,” said Lunsford. “So we knew that the middle was going to be open, so I knew that I needed to attack it.”

In transition, Lunsford put Dalton up 2-0 to open the game with a layup and that started a six-point spurt that saw her team leading 6-2 when it was over. She finished the opening quarter with eight points, all around the rim and her ‘Dawgs were in control 12-4.

“We used to always have Tess (Denning), so I never needed to go inside,” said Lunsford about expanding her inside-outside game. “I knew that I needed to be stronger and I needed to really step it up this year. It has really benefitted me, because I can score either way, so its harder to guard me now.”

That aggression made her coach smile.

“Ella did a nice job being aggressive and they didn’t really have an answer for her,” said Miller. “They just got a little more physical with us.”

As Dalton built an early 18-4 lead, a big part was the ability to create havoc in the passing lanes for Bristol. With 12 of their 18 coming off turnovers, the Bulldogs showed a propensity for capitalizing on extra possessions and bolted to a 29-15 halftime lead.

“It was really important, because we really needed to win,” said Addesa Miller about the first half surge. “I know we didn’t have some things go our way, but we didn’t give up. We came together as a team, especially when it mattered the most.”

Talking of things not going their way, the third quarter saw Addesa called three times for traveling while preparing to shoot.

“They said that I was catching it and then taking my jump,” said Addesa Miller. “I am used to jumping into my shot and shooting it, so it was a huge adjustment to me and slowed my shot down.

“It all was very frustrating,” she said. “I wasn’t making my shots, then the referees are telling me that I am traveling. But I finally came to myself said, ‘You’re fine, take a dribble, try something new, try attacking,’ and also my teammates came up to me were like, 'Just chill, you got this.'”

It wasn’t just tough for her, as the Panthers opened with a 10-2 run to cut it to 31-25 with 4:51 left in the quarter. That's when senior Mia Weaver slowed the bleeding down by getting fouled while clearing the offensive glass and proceeded to drill both free throws.

She finished with a team-high six rebounds and Lunsford wrapped up the quarter with a nice move inside for a bucket as they re-extended the lead to 35-27.

“We talked about keeping the foot on the gas and staying aggressive,” said Katie Miller. “Instead we took a step back, fortunately we were able to keep the lead, get through it, it was kind of painful at times but we got through it.

“These kind of games, these kind of moments you have to remember that they are just 16 and 17-year-olds. So you just have to work through it, we are young and a lot of them haven’t been through this type of game before, but they did good job handling it.”

Getting through and surviving was the key and it was Addesa Miller who put the pedal back to the metal with a clutch 3-pointer with 6:23 left in regulation and a 38-29 lead. Getting a pass to the top of the arc, Miller caught the ball, but instead of jumping into her shot, she dribbled and shot.

“It felt pretty good, I won’t lie, after being called for three travels,” said a laughing Miller, who finished with nine points and four assists. “After I took that dribble and hit that 3-pointer, I was like, 'Let’s go.’”

The Bulldogs rode Miller’s 3 into a 9-2 run as Lunsford added a bucket and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in that stretch. Closing out the deal is something that Lunsford did very efficiently a year ago, and tonight, she was back at it as she closed the door the seven in the final quarter. She finished with a team-high 26 points and snared five boards in the win.

“I just knew that we needed to get this going,” said Lunsford. “Just finish out strong and get the win.”

Now Dalton is just one game away from somewhere it has never been in program history.

“It’s the best feeling ever,” said Lunsford about being a game away from state. “I have never been there, it’s always been a goal of mine, I’ve always wanted to do it and so I am going play my hardest to get there. We all are.”

Addesa Miller completely agreed.

“It feels amazing and I am so excited to play on Saturday, like I am not going to be able to sleep tonight,” she said. “Whenever I step on that court, I am going to give my 150%, I will not come off that floor regretting anything, I am going to go out there and give it everything that I have, because I want to make history at Dalton.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Girls Basketball: Dalton beats Bristol to advance to regional finals