Bulldog Cagers Tangle with the Tigers and Get Bit

The Bulldogs lost the fight with the Tigers in Groton on Thursday, January 18. The final score was 61-28. Joe Schulte, Milbank’s  6’ 6” center, was missing from the Bulldogs’ starting lineup due to illness, and the Bulldogs couldn’t seem to get in sync. Milbank scored the opening bucket, but dropped the ball after that to end the first quarter behind at 18-5. 

The Bulldogs began to find their rhythm in the second, and they might have gotten back into the game with a lesser opponent, but Groton was relentless and used their secret weapon, senior Lane Tietz, to their advantage. Tietz was coming off a game the previous week in which he had racked up 47 points – a Groton school record. The Bulldogs held him to 20 on Thursday, but it was enough damage to silence the Dogs. Milbank lagged behind by 18 points going into the locker room at half time and at 55-26 at the end of the third. 

The game snapped the Bulldogs four-game winning streak going back to December 28 and set up the Tigers to claim a four-game run. Milbank moved to a 6-3 record after the loss. Groton improved to 7-2.

It was not the end of Milbank’s weekend of hoops, though. The Bulldogs faced Florence-Henry on Milbank’s home court on Friday, January 19, and walked away with the “W.” They demolished the Falcons 80-36. See all the details here on the Valley Express.

During the Groton game, Garrett Mertens led the Bulldogs with eight points and four rebounds. Este Abrego-Gonzalez and Jaxson Wildung each scored seven points. Abrego-Gonzalez added four rebounds. Yohana Ajwanga, Sam Rick, and Braylen Bowsher made two points apiece. Rick grabbed one rebound. Bowsher got two. Emmett Hanson claimed three. Ajwanga and Mertens each got credit for a block.

The Bulldogs hit nine of 32 shots from the floor for 32 percent and 10 of 22 attempts from the line for nearly 46 percent. The Tigers made 25 of 45 of their shots and six of eight free throws for 75 percent. 

Groton’s Ryder Johnson scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds. Jacob Zak made 11 points and a rebound. Teylor Diegel put up six points and two rebounds. Keegan Tracy made four points and five rebounds.

Milbank–5—11—10—2—28
Groton–18—16—21—6—61

What’s next? The Bulldogs host Dell Rapids on Monday, January 22, in a non-conference matchup at the Milbank Armory. The Quarriers sit at 5-5 so far this season with wins against West Central, Roncalli, and Madison and losses to Tea, Sioux Falls Christian, and Hamlin.

JV Game
Milbank 35 vs. Groton 41
Milbank’s JV team also took a loss to the Tigers on Thursday, January 18. Ryan Keeton led the Bulldogs in scoring with eight points. Braylen Bowsher and Este Gonzalez- Abrego put up seven apiece. Emmett Hanson made four points. Jack Howard and Josh Pederson scored three apiece. Bryan Meyer made two, and Mason Meister knocked in a free throw.

Abrego-Gonzalez grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Dogs.Hanson had five. Howard had three. Keeton contributed two. Bowsher, Pederson, Meister, and Harley Zemlicka each hauled down one.

Teylor Degel was Groton’s leading scorer. He made 14 points. Gage Sippel followed with nine points and seven rebounds.Turner Thompson added seven points and two rebounds.

Overall, the Bulldogs shot 41 percent from the floor and the Tigers connected on 37 percent. Both teams downed about 30 percent from long range. Milbank made four of 12 free throws and Groton got five of 12.

Milbank JV—9—9—8—9—35
Groton JV–-8—8–-15—10—41

C Team Game
Milbank 37 vs. Groton 53
Garrett Weber and Leyton Osowski led Milbank in scoring for the C team in their 53-37 loss against Groton. Weber put up seven points and Osowski scored six. Harley Zemlicka followed with five. Jaxon Wiese, Jeter Scoular, Ethan Owen, and Liam Heller each added four points to the Dogs’ total. Lance Engebretson scored three.

Zemlicka led the team in rebounds at five. He also made a block. Weber claimed three rebounds. Osowski, Mack Koplin, Owen, and Heller each grabbed two rebounds. Wiese, Scoular, and Engebretson got one apiece.

The Bulldogs made 44 percent of their shots from the floor and the Tigers hit 49 percent. Milbank downed six of 15 free throws and Groton collected on six of nine.

Milbank C Team—5—13—10—9—37
Groton–12—18—10—13—53

Catch all three teams in action tomorrow night, Monday, January 22, at the Milbank Armory. The Dell Rapids Quarriers come to town.