Lady Bulldogs Win Opener

The Milbank Area Lady Bulldogs basketball team cruised to a 57-21 victory over Tiospa Zina in the opening game of their 2016-2017 season. The locals secured the win in front of a home crowd at the Milbank Armory.

“I was very pleased with all the girls on each of the three teams tonight,” stated Lady Bulldog head coach Brian Pauli. “The large crowd was awesome and the girls noticed it!”

Milbank Area got off to a solid start with a 7-0 lead. Junior Molly Rick dropped in five of the first seven points. The Lady Bulldogs maintained solid play in the first quarter to give them the 16-5 advantage. They poured in 24 points in the second period to widen the gap to 40-14 at the midway mark.
In the third quarter, the Lady Bulldogs held the Wambdi scoreless and dropped in 11 points for themselves to widen the gap to 51-21 heading into the last stanza. The final score was 57-21.

“We played hard on defense which caused some turnovers and led to easy baskets,” said Coach Pauli. “Offensively, we shared the ball and did a good job of getting to the foul line.”

Senior Caryssa Mielitz led the Lady Bulldogs with seventeen points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Rick followed with ten points, six rebounds, and one steal. Junior LaChasity Finley dropped in seven points, grabbed seven rebounds, and had two steals. Senior Mackayla Schuelke added six points, one rebound, two assists, and three steals.

The entire team saw playing time. Sophomore Gabbi Cummins tallied five points, two rebounds, two assists, and four steals. Junior Sophia Seffrood contributed three points, one rebound, and one steal. Senior Karlee Mertens had three points.

Also adding to the totals for Milbank Area were: senior Mikaela Hoeke, two points, one rebound, two assists, and one steal; sophomore Taylor Thue, two points and one steal; freshman Jaecy Engebretson, two points and one rebound; and juniors Shea Hooth and Katie VanderWal, one steal each.
The Lady Bulldogs went 19 for 47 from the field for 40 percent shooting. They were 18 for 29 from the charity stripe for 62 percent. The also had 30 rebounds, 11 assists, 19 steals, and 20 turnovers.

Tiospa Zina made 27 percent of their shots from the field – 7 of 26. The Wambdi finished the game with 24 rebounds, 12 steals, and 27 turnovers.
Milbank Area will travel to Sisseton Tuesday, December 13, for double header basketball action. The first games for both the boys and girls are slated for 4 p.m.

Senior Caryssa Mielitz.