The Lady Bulldogs secured a Northeast Conference win over Sisseton on January 5. They also defeated the West Central Trojans on January 7. Milbank... Lady Bulldogs Up Record With Two Hoops Victories

_dsc0017-10The Lady Bulldogs secured a Northeast Conference win over Sisseton on January 5. They also defeated the West Central Trojans on January 7.
Milbank Area dominated the Sisseton Redmen for the second time this season. The Lady Bulldogs held a 7-6 advantage after one quarter of play and widened the gap to 15-10 at the midway mark. The Lady Bulldogs came out for a huge third quarter to drop in 17 points and took a commanding 32-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The final score was 39-23.

“It’s always more difficult to play a team twice,” stated Lady Bulldog head coach Brian Pauli. “It feels good to get a conference win and to win at home.”

Caryssa Mielitz led the Lady Bulldogs with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Molly Rick followed with 8 points, 5 boards, 1 assist, and 1 blocked shot. Karlee Mertens and Sophia Seffrood tallied 4 points each for the Lady Bulldogs. Mertens grabbed 2 rebounds and had 1 assist and 1 steal. Seffrood snared 1 board, 2 assists, and 1 blocked shot.

Also contributing for Milbank Area were: Mackayla Schuelke, 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal; Gabbi Cummins, 2 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals; Mikaela Hoeke, 2 points, 2 boards, and 1 assist; Taylor Thue, 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 2 steals; LaChasity Finley, 1 steal; and Shea Hooth, 1 rebound.

The Lady Bulldogs made 37 percent of their shots from the field- hitting 15 of 41 attempts. The Bulldogs made 34 rebounds, 15 steals, 12 assists, 2 blocked shots, and committed 18 turnovers.

Sisseton hit 11-of-33 from the field for 33 percent shooting. The Redmen finished the game with 17 rebounds, 16 steals, 2 assists, and 16 turnovers.

Milbank Area traveled to Hartford on January 7, for double header high school basketball action against the West Central Trojans. The Lady Bulldogs came away with a 38-28 victory.

“This was a great win on the road,” Pauli stated. “It was definitely a defensive battle. We knew we had to take care of the basketball against their press.”

Milbank Area trailed 10-6 after the opening period of play. The Lady Bulldogs maintained their composure and cut the deficit to two points at 15-13 at the midway mark. “It was a little shaky early, but as the game went on, I thought the girls were more poised and took better care of the ball.” Pauli noted.

Milbank Area came out ready to play in the second half and led 24-23 heading into the last quarter. The Lady Bulldogs fired in 15 points while holding the Trojans to just 4 points. The Bulldogs won the game 38-28.

“There was a stretch of about four minutes in the second half where we played awfully well,” Pauli said. “In practice we work a lot on getting stops on defense and then turning around and scoring. That showed tonight.”

Mielitz led the locals with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocked shots. Rick tallied 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. Cummins added 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.

Also adding to the teams totals were: Thue, 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists; Seffrood, 2 points and 3 boards; Mertens, 1 point, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist; Schuelke, 7 rebounds and 3 assists; and Hoeke, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

Milbank Area hit 14-of-38 from the field for 37 percent shooting. The Lady Bulldogs collected the win with 37 rebounds, 11 assists, 11 steals, 2 blocked shots, and 16 turnovers.

West Central made 15 percent of its shots from the field- 8 of 55 attempts. The Trojans finished the game with 41 rebounds, 15 steals, 2 assists, 1 blocked shot, and 13 turnovers.

Milbank Area will host Clark-Willow Lake Tuesday, January 10, at the Milbank Armory before heading to Aberdeen to take on the Roncalli Cavaliers Thursday, January 12.

senior Karlee Mertens.

Staff Writer

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