An early deficit proved to be insurmountable for the West Bulldogs as they were swept from the state tournament in the first round, falling to Hermitage Springs 39-30 in the first round of the James C. Haile Tournament in Murfreesboro.

Falling behind 13-6 after one, the Bulldogs found themselves playing catch up as Jamison Marler contributed four of their six in the opening stanza. He led all Bulldogs with 10 on the day. However, the Bulldogs could gain no ground in the second as they were again outscored by Hermitage, facing a 21-10 disadvantage going into the locker room. The third period saw West close the gap by just one point, leaving themselves a 10-point deficit going into the last quarter. While getting it inside double digits, they were not able to mount a comeback, the loss ending their season at a mark of 9-11.

Despite the early departure from the state tournament, Bulldog Coach Kelly Pyburn was happy with the effort her squad gave all year, noting the loss of their big man in the middle and one of their leading scorers, Isaac Brown, who did not get to play in the tournament game, obviously had an impact.

“The kids played hard all season. The score doesn’t always reflect how well they played,” the coach said. “We lost one of our starters at the end of the season but the boys stepped up and helped pick up the slack. They are a great group of young men.”