Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs ousted from State Tournaments

Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs ousted from State Tournaments

Earle basketball squads fall short in bids for 2A titles

By the Times Sports Staff

sports@theeveningtimes.com The Earle Bulldogs made it to the quarterfinals of the Class 2A State Basketball Tournament, but could go no further.

The England Lions tipped the Earle Bulldogs boys basketball team by a final score of 70-63 in Friday’s night’s showdown in the Class 2A “Elite Eight” in Carlisle.

With the defeat. Earle moves to 20-12 on the year. The loss puts a cap on what was a very successful, albeit ultimately disappointing 2018-2019 campaign.

The Bulldogs had some big wins during the season, but could never seem to put together a long stretch of wins and came up short in some key games, including losses in the 2A Region 6 District Tournament and 2A North Regionals, which ultimately put the Bulldogs into the number 2 seed slot in the State Tournament and on a collision course with England, who beat East Poinsett County in the semifinals. The Lions will play for the 2A State Championship against Clarendon, the team that beat Earle for the North Regional top seed.

The Lady Bulldogs made a deeper run in their State Tournament, making it to the “Final Four” before losing to Riverside in a nail-biter 49-47 on Friday night in the Class 2A semifinals.

It was a strong showing for the Class 2A North, as all four spots in the semifi- nals were Class 2A North teams, including Earle and Riverside. In the othr half of the semifinals, Melbourne beat Marmaduke 68-37.

Melbourne and Riverside will square off for the 2A Girls State Championship later this week.

For the Lady Bulldogs, a very successful season comes to an end with a disappointing loss, but with a 23-5 recrord, it was an overall successful season that included a District Championship.

2019 District Champion Earle Lady Bulldogs saw their bid for another State Title end over the weekend. The Earle girls made it to the 2A Final Four, while the Earle boys were ousted in the quarterfinals.

Submitted photo