The No. 6-seeded Lady Bulldogs upset No. 3 Groton Area with a 46-43 victory in the opening round of the Region 1A basketball tournament on... Lady Bulldogs Upset Groton to Advance in Regional Tourney

The No. 6-seeded Lady Bulldogs upset No. 3 Groton Area with a 46-43 victory in the opening round of the Region 1A basketball tournament on Tuesday, February 23, in Groton. Milbank now faces No. 2 Redfield on Thursday, February 25. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

“It was back and forth the whole game, the girls made plays when they had to,” said Milbank’s head coach, Brian Pauli. “It was a great atmosphere. I am proud of the girls.”

The teams played evenly in the opening quarter, but Milbank held an 8-7 edge at the end of the first eight minutes. Groton came back in the second period to take the lead at 23-21 at the midway mark. The battle continued in the third, but the Lady Bulldogs trailed 35-30 at the beginning of the fourth. In the final period, Milbank outscored Groton 16-8 to earn the 46-43 win.

Maurina Street sparked the Milbank offense. She fired in 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, and had one assist, two steals, and a blocked shot. Isabella Anderson followed with 15 points, two rebounds, one assist, and four steals. Lindsey Mertens tallied five points, six boards, one assist, one steal and two blocked shots. Madi Thue contributed three points, one rebound, and one assist. Also adding to the totals for Milbank were Tyra Berry with three points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal, and Tatum Berry who pulled down two rebounds.

Milbank connected on 38 percent of their shots from the field, hitting 18-of-48 attempts. The Lady Bulldogs snared 35 rebounds, had five assists, 16 steals, three blocked shots, and committed just seven turnovers.

Groton made 14-of-45 from the field for 31 percent shooting. The Tigers ended the game and their season with 31 rebounds, nine assists, five steals, one blocked shot, and 16 turnovers.

File photo – Isabella Anderson

Staff

No comments so far.

Be first to leave comment below.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *