Bulldogs Break the Mustangs but Get Bit by the Tigers

Milbank cagers rebounded from a loss to Groton earlier in the week to defeat Tri-Valley 68-59 on Saturday, February 13. The Bulldogs have three regular season games remaining on their schedule.

Milbank 68 vs. Tri-Valley 59

Milbank notched its 10th win of the season with a 68-59 victory over Tri-Valley in front of their home crowd. “It’s always nice to get a win for the seniors on their senior night celebration,” said Coach Logan Diede. “They deserve that.” 

“Will Cummins really put his fingerprints all over the game for us. Everyone else followed his lead and energy to get the job done,” Diede added.  “I thought we did a fantastic job anticipating the defense in our zone, and we shot the ball well with an attacking mindset. Tri-Valley has more size. So, we knew we needed to be big on the boards, and we were. We won the rebounding battle all night!”

The teams sat even at 19-19 after the first quarter. Milbank widened the gap to 32-29 by halftime. The third quarter remained close with the Dawgs on top at 50-47 heading into the final quarter. In the fourth period, the Bulldogs turned on the jets to fire in 18 points to secure the 68-59 victory.
Four players scored in double digits for the Bulldogs. Cummins led the way with 20 points, one rebound, four assists, two steals, and one blocked shot. Schwenn followed with 17 points, three boards, two assists, and one steal. Carter Hartman tallied 12 points and six rebounds. G. Mertens added 10 points, two rebounds, four assists, and a steal.

Also contributing to the totals for Milbank were:  Riley, two points, six rebounds, and one assist; Tanner Mertens, two points; Kellen Hoeke, two points and one rebound; Stevie Ash, one rebound and two assists; Justus Osborn, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Ryker Trevett added three points, two rebounds, and two assists.

Milbank knocked down 24-of 45 from the field for 53 percent shooting. The Bulldogs collected the victory with 30 rebounds, 18 assists, 12 steals, and one blocked shot. They were charged with 13 turnovers.

Tri-Valley made 42 percent of their shots from the field, hitting 20-of-48 attempts. The Mustangs ended the game with 26 rebounds, 12 assists, 13 steals, and one blocked shot. They committed 12 turnovers.

Milbank 34 vs. Groton 55

A slow start resulted in a 34-55 loss to Groton in Northeast Conference play on Thursday, February 11, on the road.

“In the first quarter, Groton came out and shot the ball extremely well from deep to build a good lead against us,” stated Milbank’s head coach Logan Diede. “Their pressure caused us problems getting in any sort of rhythm on offense. I’m once again very proud of our boys and how they kept battling after a rough start to the game.”

Milbank trailed 22-9 at the end of the opening quarter. The teams played more evenly in the second period, but the Dawgs remained behind at 19-32 at the midway mark. Groton put up another big third quarter to widen the margin to 29-49 as the two teams headed into the final period.

“We did a good job defensively in the final three quarters, never quit talking, kept playing with energy, and kept competing,” said Diede. “This is a good group of young men.”

Bennett Schwenn led the way for Milbank with 14 points, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Will Cummins followed with 11 points, six boards, and two steals. Garrett Mertens tallied seven points, three rebounds, and three steals.  Mason Riley added two points, six rebounds, one assist, and two steals.

Milbank completed 28 percent of their shots from the field, making 12-of-43 attempts. The Dawgs grabbed 28 rebounds, had six assists, managed 17 steals, and committed 16 turnovers.

Groton put in  21-of-51 attempts from the field for 41 percent shooting. The Tigers wrapped up the game with 40
rebounds, 12 assists, 15 steals, and 18 turnovers.

File photo – Junior Ryker Trevett