Lady Bulldogs Win Two in a Row

The Lady Bulldogs chalked up two solid wins last week at home. Milbank Area defeated Northeast Conference opponent, Britton-Hecla, 69-34 on February 9, and followed that victory with another win at 50-38 in a game with Chamberlain on February 10.

Milbank 69, Britton-Hecla 34
“I thought we played aggressive from the opening tip on both ends of the floor,” stated Lady Bulldog Head Coach Brian Pauli. “Our defense played relentless, and that helped lead to easier baskets.”

The Lady Bulldogs started out hot and surged ahead 18-6 after the opening quarter of play. Milbank poured in 22 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 40-17 lead at the midway mark. The locals widened the gap to 57-25 heading into the final stanza, where they cruised to a 69-34 win.

Gabbi Cummins fired in 22 points to spark the Lady Bulldogs. She also grabbed two rebounds, six steals, one assist, and one blocked shot. Molly Rick tallied 11 points, five rebounds, one steal, and one assist. Taylor Thue added nine points, three boards, three steals, and two assists. Sophia Seffrood notched six points, nine rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one blocked shot. Jaecy Engebretson contributed five points, three rebounds, one steal, and one assist.

Also adding to the totals for the Lady Bulldogs were: LaChasity Finley, five points, three rebounds, and two assists; Makayla Johnson, four points and two rebounds; Lindsey Mertens, three points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocked shots; Kylie Kasuske, two points; Shea Hooth, two points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal; and Ashley Wollschlager, two rebounds and one steal.

Milbank hit 44 percent of their shots from the field – 27 of 61 attempts. The Lady Bulldogs secured the victory with 35 rebounds, 17 assists, 16 steals, and five blocked shots. They committed 12 turnovers.

Britton-Hecla made 11-of-32 from the field for 34 percent shooting. The Braves counted 25 rebounds, four assists, and four steals. They committed 24 turnovers.
Milbank 50, Chamberlain 38
“I thought we started out the game playing really well,” said Pauli. “We hit a little lull in the second quarter but still had a double digit lead at the break. We played a solid second half. It is nice to win two in a row!”

Milbank held a solid 16-2 lead after one quarter of play. Chamberlain narrowly outscored the Lady Bulldogs in the second quarter, but Milbank remained ahead at 25-14 at the midway mark. The Lady Bulldogs remained ahead 36-26 heading into the final stanza. They kept the heat on Chamberlain in the final quarter to win 50-38.

Cummins led Milbank with 11 points, four rebounds, two steals, one assist, and one blocked shot. Engebretson followed with nine points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Thue tallied eight points, five rebounds, five steals, and one assist. Rick, Seffrood, and Hooth each added six points to the team’s total. Rick had four rebounds and one assist. Seffrood had six rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots. Hooth was credited with two rebounds and one steal. Also contributing for the Lady Bulldogs was Mertens, four points, one rebound, and two assists. Johnson grabbed two rebounds.

Milbank completed 15-of-45 from the field for 33 percent shooting. The Lady Bulldogs sealed the deal with 34 rebounds, 11 steals, eight assists, and three blocked shots. They turned over the ball 12 times.

Chamberlain hit 36 percent of their shots from the field – 13 of 36. They ended the game with 29 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. They committed 19 turnovers.

Photo – Gabbi Cummins