SANDPOINT — Last year the Bulldog girls got a taste, and this year they want the full meal, questing for the program’s first-ever state basketball title when they tip off the 4A state tournament today at 2 p.m. against Burley at Timberline High School in Boise. 

After finishing third last season, and with many of those same players returning with another year of experience, expectations are high. Luckily, the Bulldogs aren’t shying away from them, boasting a quiet confidence.

“We want to go win this thing. We’re going to take it a game at a time, but we’re going down there to win,” said Bulldog head coach Duane Ward, guiding one of the best girls teams the school has ever had. “A lot of things have to fall into place. I’ve made no bones about it with the kids, and they’ve made no bones about to me.”

The Bulldogs (13-9) own a pair of wins over 5A Coeur d’Alene, and nearly upset a ranked Lewiston team, having faced state-level competition early and often this season.

Senior Madi Schoening, who averages 20 points and four steals a game despite massive defensive attention from opposing teams, is the team’s go-to player in crunch time. In the district championship against Moscow, she took the game over down the stretch, and could be called upon to do so again at state.

The Bulldogs love to create run-outs and push the pace, and Schoening is one of the best finishers in the state in the open court, regardless of classification. She can also punish teams from beyond the arc, making her difficult to game plan against.

“She carries us when the going gets tough, always able to step up and play some of her best basketball,” praised Ward of his University of Montana-bound guard. “In the championship game we were struggling a little bit. She took over and did a great job.”

If Schoening is option 1A, 6-foot-1 sophomore wing Grace Kirscher is option 1B, equally capable of carrying the scoring load while averaging 12 points a game this year. Kirscher has great defensive instincts, leading to a lot of steals and tipped balls.

Kirscher and senior guard Riley Couch are key to the Bulldogs’ zone defense, teaming with Schoening up top to create all kinds of havoc on the perimeter. Couch, who is mostly recovered from a sprained ankle, averaged six points a game this year and can score in bunches when she’s hot. She will also be key defensively, as Burley likes to break down the defense off the dribble.

“They’re fast, with a couple of players that can penetrate. We have to guard against them working into the gap,” said Ward. “Push the ball hard, and shoot from the outside. It should be a good game.”

One of the underrated keys to the Bulldogs’ success this season has been a stingy zone defense, with Grace Hicks and Cheri-lyn Darrah patrolling the paint, while Taylor Ward, BreLynn Converse and Kathernie Kaul all provide strong minutes and fill key roles.

Ward said working their butts off on defense and battling on the boards will be keys to making any run at state. Effort-based, those traits are far less prone to slumps than shooting, which can run hot and cold under the pressure of state and unfamiliar gyms.

“If we go out and play the kind of basketball we can play, we’ll be in the hunt. Our defense has been the key all year long,” predicted Ward. “When things aren’t going well offensively, we’re able to stay in the game defensively. Offense comes and goes, but defense is there for you every night.”