By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
BUCHANAN - A quicker and more experienced Bridgman Bees (6-1, 5-0 Lakeland) girls' basketball team came away with a 52-31 Lakeland Conference win at Buchanan on Thursday night.
The Bee's nailed eight three-pointers on their way to the victory as Heather Seyfred scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Bees.
Sophomore Sarah Svoboda added 19, knocking down five from behind the arc.
The biggest shot that Svoboda hit may have been her trey that gave the Bees a 10-point half time lead.
Svoboda drained her second shot from above the arch with two seconds to play in the first half sending the Bees into the lockerroom up 25-15.
The Bucks (3-5, 2-2 Lakeland) were playing without their head coach Bill Weaver, who was out of town for personal family reasons, and were under the direction of junior varsity coach David Cleveland. The Bucks were able to stay close to the Bees in the first half.
Bridgman jumped out on top 9-4 with 1:40 to play in the first quarter. Danielle Bachleda sparked the Bucks' offense banging down a trey with 51 seconds to play.
Hayley Cashier tied the score at nine with her first two points of the game with 15 ticks left in the quarter.
Bridgman started the second quarter with a 7-0 run and widened the margin throughout the quarter to make it a 22-13 advantage with just over a minute to play in the half.
Cashier brought the Lady Bucks back to within seven on the only two free throws the Bucks would shoot all night, with 24.9 seconds in the half, 22-15 before Svoboda's shot to end the half.
In third quarter Bridgman took control of the game with there offense and a harassing full court defense to force several of Buchanan's 22 miscues in the game.
The Bees, out shot Buchanan 15-6, led by a pair of threes by Brooke Mottl to take a 19-point lead heading into the final eight minutes.
Bridgman held the edge on the boards pulling down 31 boards to the Lady Bucks 25.
Buchanan's leading scorer was Cashier with 12 and Bachleda finished with seven.
The Bucks will play next Tuesday as they travel to Three Rivers.
Buchanan's JV team suffered a 36-4 loss in the opening game of the night.