Lady Bulldogs Split In Recent Hoops Contests

The Milbank Area Lady Bulldogs recorded one win and one loss in their basketball matchups this past week to move their season record to 3-6. The locals came away with a big 42-35 victory over the Sisseton Redmen Saturday, January 9, before falling in a close game 37-34 to Ortonville Monday, January 11.

In a makeup road contest Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs composed themselves, worked hard and put a solid game together as they downed Sisseton 42-35. The teams played evenly throughout the opening period and Milbank Area trailed 7-6. The locals came back and outscored the Redmen 14-8 in the second quarter to overtake the lead at 20-15 at the midway mark.

The Lady Bulldogs worked the ball around offensively and found the inside post to widen its advantage to 30-21 heading into the final stanza where they held on for the win. “I am very pleased with how we worked the ball around and were able to get it inside and score easier baskets,” noted head coach Joe Frederiksen. “Our defense was tough again and held Sisseton to just 35 points.”

Junior center Caryssa Mielitz set the pace for Milbank Area with 22 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two blocked shots, and three turnovers. Molly Rick tallied eight points, five rebounds, five steals, and two turnovers while Mackayla Schuelke added six points, two boards, one steal, and one turnover. Mikaela Hoeke contributed two points, three rebounds, and three turnovers, and Karlee Mertens dropped in two points, grabbed two rebounds, and had one turnover. Mikayla Street notched two points, one steal, and one turnover in the contest.

Also adding to the totals for the Lady Bulldogs were Shelby Hooth, two rebounds, three steals and two turnovers, and Sophia Seffrood, one rebound, one steal, and one turnover.

Milbank Area went 13 for 34 from the field for 38 percent shooting on the night. The locals completed the victory with 33 rebounds, 17 steals, two blocked shots, and 19 turnovers.

Sisseton made 29 percent of its shots from the field, making 13 of 45 attempts. The Redmen ended the game with 26 rebounds, 11 steals, and 21 turnovers.

Milbank Area battled to the end but suffered a close 37-34 loss to the Ortonville Trojans Monday, January 11, in double header action at the Milbank Armory.

The Lady Bulldogs got out to a slow start and trailed 15-4 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams added six more points, but Milbank Area remained behind 21-10 at the midway mark.

The locals came out strong and battled back by outscoring the Trojans 24-16 in the second half but could not overcome the early deficit.

Mielitz led the Lady Bulldogs with a double-double on the night. For the second consecutive game, she scored 22 points. She also snared 11 rebounds, four steals, and had one turnover. Schuelke netted four points and one steal while Hoeke tallied four points, six rebounds, one steal, and three turnovers. Rick chipped in with two points, two boards, one steal, and five turnovers, and Seffrood added two points, three rebounds and two steals. Also contributing for the locals were Hooth, two rebounds and two steals; Mertens, four rebounds and one assist, and Street, one rebound and one turnover.

Milbank Area made 26 percent of its shots from the field, making 13 of 51 attempts on the night. The Lady Bulldogs finished the game with 31 rebounds, 14 steals, one assist, and 12 turnovers.

Ortonville went 13 for 24 from the field for 54 percent shooting. The Trojans won the game with 19 rebounds, nine steals, and 19 turnovers.

The Lady Bulldogs will be back in action Friday, January 15, with a double header in Britton. The junior varsity girls will play at 5 p.m. with the varsity scheduled for approximately 6:30 p.m.

Junior Varsity and C team – The junior varsity girls basketball team suffered a 27-19 loss to Sisseton Saturday, January 9, while the C team slipped past the Redmen 26-22. The C team also earned a 30-20 victory over Groton Area and a 38-29 win over the Wilmot JV team in its recent action.