Lady Bulldogs Display Solid Play Despite Losses

The Milbank Lady Bulldogs basketball team suffered two recent losses. Milbank fell to Redfield-Doland 55-35 on Thursday, February 6, and dropped to Sioux Falls Christian 58-29 on Saturday, February 8.

Milbank 35 – Redfield-Doland 55
Milbank hosted Northeast Conference opponent Redfield-Doland at the Milbank Armory on February 6. The Lady Bulldogs were defeated 55-35.

“I thought we played terrific for the first 14 minutes of the game,” said Milbank’s head coach, Brian Pauli. “There were a few possessions in the closing minute of the half when we should have made the shots but didn’t. They were huge. That led to Redfield having momentum going into halftime.”

Milbank trailed by just one point at 12-11 at the end of the first quarter.The Lady Bulldogs struggled to produce points in the second period and dropped in just five. Redfield widened the gap to 23-16 at the midway mark. Milbank remained behind at 27-36 heading into the final stanza. They were outscored 19-8 in the fourth period, which resulted in the 55-35 loss.

“Unfortunately, in the second half, we weren’t able to execute on both ends of the floor like we did in the first half,” Coach Pauli said.

Jaecy Engebretson led the way for Milbank with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one blocked shot. Maurina Street was close behind with 13 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and one blocked shot. Lindsey Mertens dropped in five points and had two
rebounds and three assists. Isabella Anderson added three points, three boards, one assist, and two blocked shots.

Also contributing for Milbank were: Madi Thue, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal; Tracy Pillatzki, one rebound and one assist; and Camryn Wiese, one rebound.

Milbank hit 15-of-44 from the field for 34 percent shooting. The Lady Bulldogs grabbed 35 rebounds, had 11 assists, two steals, and four blocked shots. They were charged with 18 turnovers.

Redfield-Doland made 36 percent of their shots from the field, hitting 20-of-56 attempts. The Lady Pheasants finished the game with 32 rebounds, seven steals, one assist, four blocked shots, and just seven turnovers.

Milbank 29 – Sioux Falls Christian 58

Milbank traveled to Madison and took part in the Dak 12/Northeast Conference Clash on Saturday, February 8. The Lady Bulldogs dropped 58-29 to the Chargers.

“Going into this game, we knew we needed to score and take care of the ball considering SF Christian’s size and athleticism,” said Milbank”s coach Brian Pauli. “When we did take care of the ball, we moved well and got open looks. We just didn’t make enough shots.”

Milbank fell behind early at 19-6 after the opening quarter. That gap widened to 33-13 at the midway mark. The Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Chargers in the third quarter, but remained behind at 43-24 heading into the final stanza. They took the loss at 29-58.

Engebretson led the charge for Milbank with 14 points and 10 rebounds. She also had two assists and one blocked shot. Street tallied 11 points and four rebounds. Mertens chipped in two points, one rebound, two steals, and one blocked shot. Anderson added two points, one rebound, and one assist.

Thue also contributed five rebounds. Wiese, Emily Wollschlager, and Jenna Dexter added one rebound each.

Milbank dropped in 12-of-42 from the field for 29 percent shooting. The Lady Bulldogs ended the game with 33 rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocked shots, and 23 turnovers.

SF Christian made 39 percent of their shots from the field, hitting 21-of-54 attempts. The Chargers secured the victory with 33 rebounds, eight steals, three blocked shots, one assist, and just nine turnovers.

File photo – MHS junior Lindsey Mertens