Olivia Gallentine puts up a shot against Fort Dodge in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal on Wednesday night. (DFJ photo by Tyler Anderson)

FORT DODGE — When a season comes to an end, whatever the sport may be, feelings can range from bittersweet to optimistic. A team could bid farewell to its senior leadership, and look forward to the future.

The Webster City girls’ basketball team had to go through those sentiments, as the Lynx fell short in a 67-49 final score against Fort Dodge in a IGHSAU Class 4A-Regional quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday evening at the Dodger Gym.

The Lynx (16-6) trailed from the get-go, but came within six points at 51-45 with less than five minutes left in the game. From there, the Dodgers (12-9) countered with a 16-4 closing run, ending the Lynx’s winter campaign.

Even though the Lynx saw their season come to a close, head coach Mark Fisher had plenty of praise for his team.

“I am very proud of these girls,” Fisher said. “They never gave up. They got on the floor repeatedly for loose balls, made big plays and battled inside against a bigger team. These girls showed so much heart and have nothing to feel bad about, after that effort.”

The Lynx fell behind early, trailing the Dodgers by a score of 12-5 by the end of the initial period. By halftime, Webster City looked up at a 26-13 deficit.

“I thought we played a little tentative early on, but settled in,” Fisher said. “We actually played better early on and were getting better shots. However, we weren’t getting any to fall. That dug us into a little hole that we just seemed to be climbing out of all night.”

Coming back from the break, the Lynx came alive in the third quarter, scoring 17 points. However, the Lynx still trailed the Dodgers by 15 points at 45-30 going into the final stretch.

Early on in the final period, Webster City battled back by outpacing the Dodgers with a 15-6 run to trim their deficit down to 51-45 with plenty of time remaining.

However, the Dodgers recovered and put together a strong run through their inside size and strength to pull away.

“I really thought we were going to come all the way back and take the game,” Fisher said. “We just made a few mistakes with execution, in a situation where we needed to be perfect to come all the way back. But I want to give a lot of credit to the way the girls competed.”

“This group never wanted to be done and kept battling until the very end,” Fisher added.

Webster City had three double-digit scorers against the Dodgers, led by senior Chloe Andersen’s 13 points and seven rebounds off of the bench. Junior Jolene Stuhr also came off the bench to reel in 13 points and four boards.

Sophomore Olivia Gallentine also tallied 13 points, along with her two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Following Gallentine on the stats sheet was senior Livia Kasch, who recorded five points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Junior Addyson Beaulieu picked up five points, while senior Alley Odland and junior Ava Peterson chipped in with one point each.

“This group has come so far since the beginning of the season,” said Fisher. “What you hope for is that whatever game is your last one, that you went out fighting and playing your best basketball of the season. These girls did that (against Fort Dodge).”

“I feel like seniors dedicated so much to this team and went out fighting, and to the underclassmen that have laid a foundation for things to come,” Fisher added.

Fort Dodge was led by senior Lainey Maehl’s 19 points, teammate Paytene Hiveley’s 17 points and freshman LJ Maehl’s 17 points. The Dodgers advanced into the regional semifinals, where they will travel to Humboldt on Saturday.