SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint Bulldogs golf team battled with their 5A opponents at the Idaho Club on Monday, and the relentless course got the best of the Bulldogs. 

The last meet before the district tournament saw higher-than-average scores for nearly all Bulldog golfers as the boys placed fourth, and the girls finished third out of the four teams. However, the scores didn't faze head coach Mike Deprez because the performances put Sandpoint's preference to the test. 

"We got to see who was a little bit more resilient and who was not, relative to the scores," Deprez said.  

Sandpoint's star golfer, Bode Eacret, had an off day on Monday, shooting an 89. Deprez said that while his day was lost early, the Bulldog senior rallied back to shoot a 39 on the back nine, which was an encouraging sign for him. 

Miller Ely, Sandpoint's third golfer, tied for the best day of any Bulldog boy with an 88. Ely tied with Ryan Yake, who was playing as an individual. Deprez lauded both players' fight, describing Yake as a person with the heart of a lion and Ely as a golfer who is best at fighting through adversity. 

"I was very happy with the way he was able to minimize the mistakes out there," Deprez said of Ely. "He gets down on himself sometimes, but then once he gets on the golf course, he always rights his own ship. 

On the girls side, the top three schools were within six strokes of each other. Sandpoint was led by Hannah Majors, who shot a 99. Ella Mahlum (103), Hailey Gove (108) and Evey Walker (116) rounded out the scoring for the Bulldogs for a final score of 426. The winning team, Lewiston, posted a 420 final score. 

Deprez said that the result showed him that the district tournament will be a dogfight for the Bulldog girls. 

"If you're a spectator and you love the game of golf, there's no greater fun than watching a close match, and I think that's what's going to happen on Oct. 5," Deprez said of the girls district tournament. 

In order to prepare his team for the district tournament, his teams will head down to The Links in Post Falls for practice on Sunday. Deprez said the Bulldogs will be primarily working on their putting and chipping, ensuring that they use gravity to minimize mistakes in the short game. 

Sandpoint will also be working on five specific holes at the course where out of bounds can come into play. Deprez said making sure his golfers aim generously away from the OB so they can swing with confidence will be a massive factor at the meet. 

The Bulldogs' head coach said he is confident in both his team's chances to compete in the 5A district tournament. Deprez said the boys have stepped up the last two years and surprised him, so he's hoping they are able to make it three years in a row. 

"There is no coach that is thinking as they get on their bus, 'Well, we're just going to go through the motions,'" Deprez said. "No, everybody knows that it's going to be a close race, it's going to be a photo finish." 

Sandpoint will compete to qualify for the 5A State Tournament, which will also be hosted at The Links, on Monday, Oct. 5 at the Inland Empire League District Tournament.  

BOYS 

TEAM SCORES — 1. Lewiston 312, 2. Lakeland 336, 3. Moscow 349, 4. Sandpoint 364. 

LEWISTON — Ashton Literal 70, Landon Blewett 79, Brock Fairley 77, Davis Sartini 86, Brayden Coy 87.  

LAKELAND — Tyler Zachary 86, Luke Karshner 87, Marty Babb 83, Dom Tuskan 83, Maddox Score 84.  

MOSCOW — Burke Brown 79, Eliot Miura 91, Brock Fealy 95, Mason Helbling 96, Kian Steele 84. 

SANDPOINT — Bode Eacret 89, Drake Reid 92, Miller Ely 88, Rajah Brown 104, Maverick Rohm 95. 

GIRLS 

TEAM SCORES — 1. Lewiston 420, 2. Lakeland 423, 3. Sandpoint 426, 4. Moscow 435. 

LEWISTON — Marissa Peterson 104, Josey Hemphill 109, Abi White 108, Blewett 124, Peyton Zumwalt 99. 

LAKELAND — Paige Carey 87, Ellie Austad 93, Tessa Dorr 122, Kendal Prety 121.  

SANDPOINT — Hannah Majors 99, Ella Mahlum 103, Hailey Gove 108, Evey Walker 116, Ysabelle Lopez 120. 

MOSCOW — Gemma Sorenson 101, Paige Raney 115, Kessel 99, Hali Hull 120, Youmans 128.

    The Sandpoint girls golf team poses for a picture on Monday at the Idaho Club. Pictured from left: Ysabelle Lopez, Ella Mahlum, Hannah Majors and Evey Walker. Not pictured are Hailey Gove and Allison Petro.