The Milbank Area Lady Bulldogs had the victory in sight but were unable to hold on as they fell 40-37 to Waubay-Summit in the... Lady Bulldogs Come So Close in Basketball Shootout

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The Milbank Area Lady Bulldogs had the victory in sight but were unable to hold on as they fell 40-37 to Waubay-Summit in the second game of the State Farm-S&D One Stop Basketball Shootout at the Milbank Armory Tuesday afternoon. Milbank Area dropped to 1-4 on the season with the loss.

“I thought we played good defense,” commented Milbank Area head coach Joe Frederiksen. “We just weren’t able to score down the stretch.”

The teams teetered back and forth throughout the entire contest with neither team holding more than a five point advantage at any point. The score was tied five times and changed hands seven times. Milbank Area trailed by one point at 11-10 at the end of the opening quarter. The Lady Bulldogs battled back and overtook the lead at 24-23 at the midway mark.

Both teams stepped up its defensive efforts which resulted in low third quarter scoring. Milbank Area remained ahead at 29-27 heading into the final stanza. The battle continued into the fourth quarter. The Lady Bulldogs found themselves down by one point with 31 seconds remaining in the contest, but regained possession of the ball. Milbank Area fired up several shots that would not fall before Caryssa Mielitz’s shot bounced high off the top of the basket resulting in an out of bounds call by the official. Waubay-Summit was given the ball with 8.6 ticks on the clock. Shelby Hooth was forced to foul, and the Mustangs drained two free throws to go ahead by three points.

Milbank Area called a timeout with 3.8 seconds to set up its final shot. Mielitz received the ball on the in-bounds pass, turned and fired a solid three-point shot, but it did not fall. The rebound was fumbled around between several players as the horn sounded.

“We executed the play at the end and had a great look,” said Frederiksen. “But just couldn’t get the shot to drop.”

Five players scored for the Lady Bulldogs. Molly Rick led the locals with 12 points, seven rebounds, two steals, one assist and two turnovers. Mackayla Schuelke followed with nine points, three boards, two steals and two turnovers. Sophia Seffrood tallied six points, three rebounds, two steals and one turnover while Caryssa Mielitz added four points, three rebounds and two turnovers. Rounding out the scoring for Milbank Area was Mikaela Hoeke with four points, two rebounds and six turnovers.

Also contributing for the Lady Bulldogs were Karlee Mertens, one steal and two turnovers; Cara Berkner, one rebound; Mikaela Hoeke, one steal, one assist and one turnover, and Shelby Hooth, two rebounds.

Milbank Area made just 28 percent of its shots from the field, making 13 of 47 attempts. The locals went 8 for 11 from the charity stripe for 73 percent, but were just eight percent from three point land. The Lady Bulldogs wrapped up the game with 34 rebounds, 10 steals, two assists and 18 turnovers.

Waubay-Summit also struggled from the field, shooting just 21 percent. The Mustangs went 7 for 33 on the night and won the game with 29 rebounds, 12 steals and 17 turnovers.

In the first girls game of the shootout, Waverly-South Shore downed Ortonville, MN, 54-49.

Milbank Area will host Morris Area Monday, January 4, at the Milbank Armory. The C game is slated to begin at 5:15 p.m.

Click here to see pictures from this game!

Staff Writer

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