The Madison boys and girls basketball teams battled at the LCL Tournament last weeks, with both squads rebounding from opening-round losses to claim fifth place.
The Madison girls battled through three competitive games to earn their fifth-place finish. They opened tournament play against Burlingame in a tightly contested first-round matchup. The Bulldogs held slim leads after each of the first three quarters, going up 13-11 after one and 21-20 at halftime before extending the advantage to 27-24 after three. Burlingame answered in the fourth, forcing overtime with the score tied 37-37 at the end of regulation. Madison fought hard in the extra period but ultimately fell 42-45. Caylin Luthi led the Bulldogs with 12 points, followed by Kam White with 11 and Sadie Albert with eight.
In round two, Madison responded with a strong defensive effort against Hartford. The Bulldogs led 7-6 after the first quarter and went into halftime tied 15-15. Madison pulled away in the second half, outscoring Hartford 11-3 in the third quarter to take a 26-18 lead, then closed out a 39-32 victory. Caylin Luthi paced Madison with 15 points, Jenna Thomsen added 11, and Albert finished with nine.
Playing for fifth place, Madison faced Waverly and overcame a slow start to secure a 48-40 win. The Bulldogs trailed 5-13 after the first quarter and went into halftime down 17-24, but momentum shifted in the second half. Madison’s offense came alive in the third quarter, taking a 34-32 lead, and the Bulldogs pulled away in the fourth to seal the victory. Albert led a balanced scoring effort with 13 points, while Bayleigh Benjamin added eight, Molly Dannels and White scored seven each and Rylee Darbro had five.
The Madison boys also bounced back after a firstround loss to finish the tournament on a high note. In the opening round, the Bulldogs were tied 16-16 with Lebo after the first quarter and trailed just 2526 at halftime. Lebo pulled away in the second half, and Madison fell 40-63. Octavian Dean led Madison with 16 points, followed by Brayden Grimmett with 12 and Javier Alba-Mendez with nine.
Madison responded in the consolation round with a dominant performance against Marais Des Cygnes Valley. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-2 first-quarter lead and never looked back, taking a 3715 advantage into halftime and leading 50-20 after three quarters on their way to a 59-25 win. Dean scored 19 points to lead Madison, while Grimmett added 15 and Alba-Mendez finished with 11.
In the fifth-place game, Madison closed the tournament with an impressive 65-38 victory over Northern Heights. The Bulldogs led 17-9 after one quarter and 25-20 at halftime before pulling away in the second half. Madison outscored Northern Heights 21-11 in the third quarter to take control and cruised to the win. Dean led all scorers with 20 points, Lane Smith added 14, Grimmett finished with 11, and Alba- Mendez chipped in 10.
Up Next
The Madison Bulldogs will host Colony this Thursday, Feb. 5, for the Winter Royalty event.
