Lady Wildcats defeated by Montrose in GVVC title game

Kaleigh Byram (5) shoots a jump shot during the championship game agaisnt Montrose. (Noah Jones/Daily Mail)

The Bronaugh Lady Wildcats junior high basketball team was beat by the Montrose Blujays 37-20 in the Golden Valley Vernon County Conference Tournament championship game, Friday night at Hume R-3.

The game did not go as well as Bronaugh head coach Daryl Dodson anticipated.

The Lady Wildcats struggled against the Blu-jays height, he said, missing shots "we normally make" and having some shots blocked.

Haley Byram (23) drives to the net against the Montrose Junior High basketball team. (Noah Jones/Daily Mail)

Dodson also said Montrose's coaches did a great job coaching the game as they changed their defense in the second half, making difficult for his team to score.

"We didn't really get ready for the 2-3 [zone] to get back on defense. That hurt us a little bit. That was a good coaching move," he said.

Nicole Hagerman and Kaleigh Byram led the Lady Wildcats in scoring with six points each. Hagerman made three-of-eight shots while Byram hit 3-of-15. Haley Byram registered four points, going 2-of-10 from the field. Bailey Cliffman banked two points on five field goal attempts. Emma Morris shot 100 percent from the field with her one basket, but missed the team's only two free throws.

Eighth-grader Abby Vogel led the Blujays with 14 total points, including eight points in the second quarter. She went 0-for- 5 from behind the three-point line.

Many of the points Montrose scored came on easy layups after the Blujays pulled in rebounds and hit teammates streaking down the court.

"I'm real proud of the girls, they played hard, they never quit," Dodson said. "This was probably the hardest they have had to play. Let's just give both teams a round of applause."