The Bennington girls basketball team battled and made things interesting for three-and-a-half quarters, however, No. 2 seed Trego Community pulled away late for a 45-31 win.

It was Bennington’s first trip to the Class 2A State Tournament at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan on Wednesday and the Bulldogs led for parts of the first half.

After falling behind 11-6, Kyla Kind led the comeback for Bennington, ending the quarter on a 5-0 run–including a last second 3-pointer.

After one, the game was tied 11-11.

Bennington actually led for the majority of the second quarter. The Bulldogs led 22-19 in the final minute, however, Trego ended with two made buckets to end the half ahead 23-22.

The third quarter is where Trego was finally able to create some separation. The Golden Eagles led by as many as nine in the period and ultimately had a 34-28 lead going to the final quarter.

Bennington could not find enough offensive production in the second half. The Bulldogs made four 3-pointers in the first, however, was held to just nine points in the third and fourth quarters combined.

Trego (23-1) will face the No. 6 seed Garden Plain on Friday in the 2A semis, after the Lady Owls topped No. 3, Sterling. Lili Shubert led all scorers with 13 points and Gracie Pfannenstiel added in 11.

Bennington (16-8) ended its year after going to the state tournament for the first time. Kind led the way with 12 points for the Bulldogs.