Slaybaugh leads spirited effort for Lady 'Dogs

A 25-point rout never felt so good.

The Lady Bulldogs' lone senior, Jessica Slaybaugh, put together an inspired performance on senior night in a loss to the Libby Lady Loggers — leaving everything she had on the floor in her final game at home.

Slaybaugh exploded for 16 points, scoring all but six of the 'Dogs' second-half points, and lifted her team's spirits amid another conference defeat. After the final buzzer, Slaybaugh locked arms with the entire team and made her final walk across the court wearing the green and gold.

In the end, Libby went home with a 51-26 win, but it was Whitefish that scored a dose of momentum going into the divisional tournament this weekend.

Led by Jackie Mee, Libby jumped out to a 27-2 lead in the first frame before extending their lead to 26 by halftime. LaRona Lusher chipped in with 14 points as the Loggers finished off Whitefish with 19 points in the second half.

Yet, despite the insurmountable deficit, Slaybaugh turned up the heat in the third quarter. At the 2:20 mark, she took the ball behind her back at the top of the key, broke down the defender with a quick move to her left, drove into the lane and dropped a floater over a defender for a 2-point bucket. It was the prettiest play of the night, and once wasn't enough. On the ensuing offensive possession, Slaybaugh again juked her defender at the key with a behind-the-back move and nailed a fade-away jumper in the lane.

She finished the quarter with a deep 3-pointer in front of the Lady 'Dogs bench.

In the fourth, Slaybaugh stole a pass and made a breakaway run for an easy layup. She followed that play 10 seconds later with an "and-1" jumpshot to cap off her night's scoring.

Whitefish is slated to play Ronan on Thursday in the first round of the divisional tournament. The two one-win teams split their games in the regular season, with each winning at home.