Lady Bulldogs Continue To Work Hard On The Court

The Milbank Area Lady Bulldogs kept their composure and worked hard but suffered two losses recently to drop to 3-9 on the season. Milbank Area fell 57-35 to Hamlin Thursday, January 21, before suffering a 54-27 loss to West Central Saturday, January 23.

The Lady Bulldogs hosted West Central in the Milbank Armory as part of a high school basketball double header. Milbank Area suffered from cold shooting throughout the night which led to its demise. The locals battled hard in the opening quarter but trailed 13-6. Both teams produced nine points each in the second quarter, but Milbank Area remained behind 22-15 at the midway mark.

A solid Trojan defense made it difficult for the locals to work the ball inside throughout much of the second half. Milbank Area scored just five points in the third quarter and trailed 35-20 heading into the final stanza where they were outscored 19-7.

“I thought we came out and played with them in the first half,” noted Milbank Area head coach Joe Frederiksen. “We struggled scoring in the second half and couldn’t recover.”

Caryssa Mielitz led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points, eight rebounds and four turnovers. Molly Rick followed with eight points, six boards, one steal and two turnovers. Mackayla Schuelke tallied three points, one rebound, one steal and one turnover while Sophia Seffrood added two points, three rebounds, one steal and one turnover. Also contributing for Milbank Area were Tori Brandenburger, two points; Mikaela Hoeke, one point, three rebounds and one assist; Karlee Mertens, one rebound, two steals and one turnover, and Shelby Hooth, one rebound and two turnovers.

Milbank Area made just 19 percent of its shots from the field, making nine of 47 attempts. The locals were 4-for-24 in the first half and 5-for-23 in the second. The Lady Bulldogs ended the game with 28 rebounds, eight steals, one assist and 15 turnovers.

West Central went 17 for 38 from the field for 45 percent shooting on the night. The Trojans won the game with 32 rebounds, 11 steals, one blocked shot and 14 turnovers.

Milbank Area 35, Hamlin 57
Milbank Area traveled to Hayti Thursday, January 21, and suffered a 57-35 loss to the Hamlin Chargers. The Lady Bulldogs played fairly even with the opponent throughout the first half. Milbank Area trailed 12-7 after one quarter of play. Near the end of the second period, Hamlin went on a 9-0 run to widen the gap to 28-20 at the midway mark.

The Lady Bulldogs struggled offensively in the second half. The locals were outscored 16-8 in the third period to fall behind 44-28 heading into the final stanza where they were unable to recover.

“I felt we did a great job of moving the ball and finding the open looks in the first half,” said Frederiksen. “After Hamlin’s run in the second quarter, we just couldn’t recover. I was proud of our effort for the whole game.”

Mielitz set the pace for the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points, seven rebounds, two blocked shots and three turnovers. Rick fired in 10 points, one rebound, one steal and five turnovers while Schuelke added four points, three rebounds, one steal and two turnovers. Mertens and Seffrood finished out the scoring for Milbank Area with two points each. Mertens grabbed two rebounds and had two steals and one turnover, and Seffrood had two rebounds and four turnovers on the night. Also contributing for the Lady Bulldogs were Hoeke, three rebounds, one assist and three turnovers, and Hooth, one rebound, one steal and three turnovers.

Milbank Area made 35 percent of its shots on the night, hitting 12 of 34 attempts. The Lady Bulldogs were 0-for-8 from three-point land and 11-for-13 from the charity stripe. The locals finished the contest with 31 rebounds, six steals, two blocked shots, one assist and 23 turnovers.

Hamlin went 22 for 52 from the field for 42 percent shooting on the night. The Chargers won the game with 25 rebounds, 19 steals, one assist and just seven turnovers.

Milbank Area has a busy week of basketball action. The Lady Bulldogs will take on Warner Tuesday, January 26, and will host Aberdeen Roncalli Friday, January 29, and Castlewood Saturday, January 30.

Junior Varsity and C team scores – The Milbank Area junior varsity team split contests with Hamlin and West Central. The Lady Bulldogs slipped past Hamlin 29-28 and fell to West Central 46-40. The C team secured two wins in its recent matchups. The locals downed Hamlin 31-25 and edged out West Central 26-25.