Bulldogs Finish Off Florence Henry 65-27 

The Bulldogs tipped off with Florence-Henry at the MIlbank Armory on Friday, January 23. Stay Frosty was hardly a challenge with temperatures hovering around 12 below zero outside. Inside, Jeter Scoular, Sam Rick, Jack Howard, Lincoln Holscher and Emmett Snaza got things started as everyone thawed out. The Bulldogs fouled Dawson Hlavacek and sent him to the line to shoot two, but Hlavacek missed them both. Milbank got the rebound and took it the other way. The Bulldogs sent it around the horn until Sam Rick ventured a three and got the score to 3-0 in favor of the Dawgs. The clock was already at 5:44. 

Florence-Henry’s Karson Rossow checked out of the game due to a bloody injury. Colby Robinson checked in. Rick then took it down the baseline and up and in for two more points to take Milbank’s lead to 5-0. On the rebound, Scoular grabbed it back and fed it to Snaza for two more points and the Bulldogs suddenly were ahead 7-0. Scoular picked the pocket of another Falcon and funneled the ball to Keeton. Keeton dropped in a basket to get the score to 10-3. The Falcons shot a two, but it wouldn’t go. Keeton found Rick for two and the Bulldogs were out in front at 12-0. Florence-Henry’s Zach Shroeder and Robinson teamed up to land a bucket, and the Falcons were on the board at 12-2. 

Scoular and Rick were each clipped for a foul. Falcon Carson Kelly connected on a spin shot. Holscher hit a hook shot for the Bulldogs. The score went to 14-4. Scoular then came alive with a 3-pointer from the right corner to put the Dawgs ahead 17-4. Kelly downed a field goal for Florence-Henry, and the quarter ended with the Bulldogs in the lead at 17-6.

Bulldog Braylen Bowsher checked in to start the second quarter, and he sent a perfect pass to Keeton who turned it into two points. Milbank lost the ball out of bounds. Keeton was also charged with an offensive foul. Jaxson Wiese entered the game for the Bulldogs, but he fouled Keller. Keller’s first shot at the line was no good, but his second rattled in. Holscher was on the receiving end of heavy pressure from the Falcons, and although he was double-teamed, he put in two. The score moved to 21-7. Rick rushed down court to sink a basket to get his point total to nine in the game. The Falcon’s Schroeder also tipped in a two in transition to get the score to 23-9. 

Howard then drew a foul and went to the line. His first was short and his second wouldn’t fall either. The score stayed at 23-9. Rick hit one off the glass. Scoular put up a teeter-totter – it rolled in, out, and in again for two. The Bulldogs pulled ahead 27-9. Holscher grabbed the rebound and got it to Snaza. Snaza hooked a shot to get the score to 29-9 with just under three minutes to go in the half. 

Wiese was charged with pushing and the team foul count went to four for Milbank. Logan Diede, head coach for the Dawgs, called a timeout. Rick then had possession, but the Falcons knocked it away and out of bounds. Milbank tossed the ball in bounds and attempted a three-pointer. It refused to cooperate, but Rick landed a two instead and drew the foul. His extra point did not go in. The scoreboard blinked 31-9. Keller hit a bucket to move the Falcons to 11. Osowski managed his own two-point putback to up  the Bulldogs’ total to 33 with a minute left in the half. (Someone must have left the Armory door open as a phantom wind blew a pass from Rick way across the court and out of bounds. Holscher also put up a basket and the crowd watched it spin on the rim forever. It finally dropped through for two:).The scoreboard read 35-11.The Bulldogs were up by 24.

Scoular scored the first basket of the third quarter to increase Milbank’s lead to 37-11. Tucker Keller rolled in a layup to move the score to 37-13. Howard dared the Falcons to come near his rebound, and he got the nut to Scoular, who buried it for two for all four points in the quarter so far.  Bodies began colliding on the floor, and Kelly was charged with a blocking foul. Holscher used  the opportunity to knock down a bucket and push the score to 41-13. The goal system then got a wedgie – the ball was stuck between the rim and the backboard. It resulted in a jump ball, and the possession arrow favored Florence-Henry. (Though not common, the wedgie had made a repeat performance from the JV game earlier in the evening.) When the Falcons got the ball, Kelly pounded in a hard-won 3-pointer. The score sat at 41-16. 

Holscher was whistled for his first foul of the game. Scoular made a steal and nailed a three, and there was some confusion over whether or not he had been fouled, but no free shots were awarded. The score sat at 44-16. Kelly demonstrated the art of a hook shot, but it came much too late as a foul had occurred. 

Osowski then found himself all alone and easily connected for two.The Bulldogs pulled ahead 46-16 and the Mercy Rule started the continuous clock running. Keller hit the rim to gain a field goal, and he got the score to 46-18. Wiese was also feeling it, and he downed a triple to put the Dawgs up 49-18. A few seconds later, a spin by Kelly ended with no basket, but a chance at the stripe. He hit both to collect his fifth point of the game and get the Falcons to 49-20 just before the end of the third quarter.

Holscher started the fourth quarter with a bang – a triple that put the score at 52-20. Kelly then glided in for a basket for the Falcons. Holscher replied with a field goal to tie with Rick at 13 points so far in the game. Kelly  put up a long two for Florence-Henry to up the score to 54-24. Hlavacek made his first bucket of the night for the Falcons, and the score went to 54-26. Rick  found space for a jumper and added two to Milbank’s total for 56. His 15th point of the night.

Holscher then pumped in a triple. The 6’4” sophomore finished the game with 16 points. Snaza added a bucket to expand Milbank’s lead to 61-26. Harley Zemlicka was fouled by Schroeder and he went to the line to shoot two. His first was good, and his second followed suit. The Bulldogs led at 63-26. Zemlicka added another basket to notch four points in the fourth quarter for Milbank. Bulldog Mack Koplin fouled Henry Kahnke, and Kahnke went to the line to shoot two with 20.6 seconds left in the game.His first attempt  wouldn’t fall, but his second rolled in to end the game at 65-27.

The Bulldogs had three players hit double figures. Holscher racked up a game-high 16 points for the Bulldogs. Rick made 15 and Scoular added 12. Snaza added six. Keeton had five. Zemlicka and Osowski each got four. Wiese scored three points. Rick led with three assists. Howard had two. Holscher, Scoular, Snaza, and Bowsher got one apiece. Snaza led Milbank with eight rebounds. Holscher and Howard hauled down five boards apiece. Osowski and Scoular each got four rebounds. Keeton contributed three. Rick and Zemlicka each took down two. Scoular snagged three steals and Howard got one. Snaza recorded a block.

Milbank shot just over 62 percent from the floor. They downed seven of 16 from long range for 44 percent. They made two of five from the charity stripe for 40 percent.

Keller put up 12 points and one rebound for Florence -Henry. He got three steals. Kelly added eight points and three rebounds. He also made a steal.  Hlavacek, Schroeder, and Robinson each made two points. Kahnke made one. Kolin Jacobson made an  assist and grabbed one rebound. Hlavacek made two rebounds. Schroeder and Rossow each grabbed one rebound.

The Falcons made 27 percent  of their shots from the floor. They hit 25 percent from beyond the arc. They made four of eight from the free throw line.

MILBANK                        17     18     14     16    65
FLORENCE-HENRY        6       5      9       7    27