The Milbank Area Lady Bulldogs turned things around and came up with two big high school girls basketball victories this past weekend to improve... Lady Bulldogs Secure Two Big Basketball Victories

_DSC0020 (2)The Milbank Area Lady Bulldogs turned things around and came up with two big high school girls basketball victories this past weekend to improve to 5-10 on the season.

Milbank Area edged out Aberdeen Roncalli 53-46 in a Northeast Conference showdown Friday
night at the Milbank Armory. The locals came back Saturday night and downed undefeated Class B Castlewood 44-34 in front of their home crowd.
“These were two big wins for us,” noted Milbank Area head coach Joe Frederiksen. “It’s very nice to get these wins.”

The Lady Bulldogs used a big fourth quarter to secure the 53-46 win over Roncalli Friday night. Milbank Area trailed by just one point at 9-8 after one quarter of play and were down 23-21 at the midway mark.

The teams played even throughout the third quarter, but the locals remained behind at 39-35 heading into the final stanza. Milbank Area came out blazing in the final quarter and fired in 18 points while holding the Cavaliers to just seven, which gave the Lady Bulldogs the victory.

“This was a great conference win for this team,” stated Frederiksen. “They have been working so hard in previous games and always come up a little short. This team deserved this win.”

Caryssa Mielitz set the pace for the locals with 19 points, six rebounds, one steal and two turnovers. Molly Rick and Mackayla Schuelke each tallied 10 points in the contest. Rick had one steal and one turnover, and Schuelke had one rebound and one turnover. Mikayla Street contributed four points, six boards, one steal and four turnovers while Karlee Mertens added four points, two rebounds and one steal. Rounding out the team totals for Milbank Area were Mikaela Hoeke, four points, one rebound, two steals and one turnover, and Shelby Hooth, two points and two rebounds.

The Lady Bulldogs shot an outstanding 61 percent from the field, hitting 22 of 36 attempts on the night. They won the contest with 21 rebounds, 6 steals and 11 turnovers.

Roncalli went 19 for 41 from the field for 46 percent shooting on the night. The Cavaliers finished the game with 19 rebounds, four steals and 12 turnovers.

Milbank Area had a solid start to the game Saturday night and led 11-4 over Castlewood at the end of the first period. The Lady Bulldogs outscored the Warriors 12-9 in the second quarter to maintain the 23-13 advantage at the midway mark.

Castlewood shifted gears in the second half and came out firing. The undefeated Warriors cut the Milbank Area lead to four points at 31-27 heading into the final stanza. The Lady Bulldogs did not back down. They maintained their composure and kept playing a solid game to hold on for the 44-34 victory.

“We played great defense all game against a powerful offensive team,” explained Frederiksen. “I really like how we are playing at both ends of the floor right now. I am very proud of our whole team.”

Mielitz produced a double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Hooth had a solid night shooting with nine points, three rebounds, one steal and one turnover. Rick followed with seven points, three boards and one assist while Sophia Seffrood added five points. Schuelke chipped in with four points, four rebounds and three steals, and Mertens had three points, three rebounds and one steal on the night. Also adding to the locals totals were Hoeke, two points and one rebound, and Street, one point and two rebounds.

Milbank Area went 15 for 41 from the field for 37 percent shooting in the contest. The Lady Bulldogs collected the win with 31 rebounds, seven steals, one assist and eight turnovers.

Castlewood made 33 percent of its shots from the field, making 12 of 36 attempts. The Warriors wrapped up the game with 23 rebounds, seven steals, one assist and nine turnovers.

Milbank Area will host Madison Tuesday, February 2, at the Milbank Armory. The Lady Bulldogs will wrap up the week with double header basketball action Friday, February 5, in its home gym.

C team score – The Milbank Area C team suffered a close 30-28 loss to Aberdeen Roncalli Friday, January 29.

Staff Writer

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