Lady Bulldogs Secure 16th Win on Senior Night

The Lady Bulldogs beat the Lady Bearcats 62-39 in front of a boisterous crowd on Thursday, February 19. Anna Neugebauer –  6-foot center and lone senior for the Lady Bulldogs – was honored along with her parents on Senior Night. The Milbank Armory  was a sea of  maroon and gold because Webster’s school colors are also maroon and gold, but it was punctuated by plenty of rosy hues in support of Pink NIght. 

The JV girls had already defeated the JV Webster girls 44-38, when the varsity girls took to the court. Webster won the tip-off, but their 3-point shot and several putbacks did not go in. Milbank got possession and Bailee Hendricks scored a 3-pointer to get things going for Milbank. Webster again missed a long shot, and Belle Pauli started her night with a basket to get Milbank off to an early 5-0 lead. 

Webster again missed their shot. After the rebound, a jumpball favored Milbank, but Webster’s Bailee Minke took over control, and she dropped in two quick buckets to help the Lady Bearcats catch up 5-4. Pauli answered with a two-pointer to get the score to 7-4. Back-to-back turnovers – one for each team– and an empty possession for Webster put the ball back in the hands of Neugebauer. She knocked one in high off the glass. The score moved to 9-4. Minke replied with a triple to keep Webster close at  9-7. 

Two steals later – one by Pauli and one by Violet Johnson– and a sweet pass by Bree Townsend got the ball to Pauli again. She took it home to keep Milbank ahead 11-7.  With under two minutes to go in the first frame, Webster was caught palming and turned the ball over to Milbank again, but Milbank couldn’t get their next shot to go. Webster’s Ryan Johnson then popped in a basket to pull Webster within two again. Pauli also landed a two to get the score to 13-9. 

Webster was called for a technical foul. Pauli went to the line alone. She downed one of the two. (14-9) Per the rulebook, Milbank also got possession, but they stepped on the out-of-bounds line, and the ball went back to Webster with 10 seconds on the clock. Webster missed their shot at the buzzer. 

Susie Schuneman scored Milbank’s first bucket of the second quarter. Webster then got nicked for traveling, and Schuneman took it to the rim again. Milbank had established  a nine-point lead at 18-9, and Webster’s coach Hailey Johnson requested a timeout. 

Back on the floor, Webster was dinged for double-dribbling again, but after Milbank regained possession, Webster picked Pauli’s pocket. Neugebauer also fouled Mallory Steiner to send her to the line. Steiner collected one to get the score to 18-10. 

With five minutes remaining on  the clock, Schuneman powered up a 3-pointer to put Milbank up by 11 at 21-10. Schuneman followed with a teardrop over her defenders to extend Milbank’s lead to 23-10. After a timeout on the court, Neugebauer got to the line. She banked both of her free throws.(25-10)  Chloe Mammenga caught a nice pass underneath and took it to the hole for two points for Webster. (25-12) Several plays later, Townsend passed to Neugebauer, who completed the play, and the Lady Bulldogs were ahead 27-12. Ninke hit her second three. (27-15)  With under a minute to go in the half Hendricks knocked in a three-pointer. (30-15)  R. Johnson was fouled by Pauli, and she toed the line to claim two points.(30-17) 

With 40 seconds left in the half, Hendricks’ shot was partially blocked and Townsend was fouled on the rebound. It was the fifth team foul for Webster and Townsend went to the line, but her shot went in and out. The second also wouldn’t fall.  After the rebound, Webster missed  a shot with 19 seconds on the clock.  With 3.4 seconds to go, Milbank rolled the ball past the time line before they picked it up to shoot, but with no time to set up, the shot was no good. The half ended at 30-17. Milbank was ahead.

Webster’s Karli Sannes started the third quarter with a basket.  Ninke went to the line to collect one to get the Bearcats to within 10 at 30-20. Schuneman followed with a long pass to Hendricks who pounded in a 3-pointer.(33-20)  Pauli also downed a field goal from near the free throw line.(35-20)  Ninke hit her third three of the game for Webster to put them at 35-23, and Hendricks hit her fourth three of the game to lift Milbank to 38-23. Mammenga got the putback for Ninke to move the score to 38-25.

Sannes scored a basket (38-27).  Pauli missed two free throws, but soon redeemed herself at the line with two to get the score to 40-27.

Milbank got the ball.Townsend again sent it underneath to Pauli for a swift two. (42-27) A time out, a tie up, a foul on Schuneman, a 10 second violation on Webster followed. A loose ball with Milbank in possession took things to a timeout by Milbank’s Coach Tony Howard.

Back on the court, Schuneman planted a three-ball. The Lady Bulldogs went up  45-27. V. Johnson fouled Mammenga, and she added one point for Webster from the stripe. (45-28)  Another pile up resulted in a  jump ball.  Braelynn Breske’s foul sent Schuneman to the line, but neither would go in for the 5’4” eighth-grader.  Neugebauer got the rebound, but Milbank’s shot was no good. Webster got the next rebound, but V. Johnson took it away for Milbank. Schuneman went in for the layup and claimed the two points to end the third quarter. Milbank held a commanding 47-28 lead.

Cartney Hanson got an early bucket in the fourth frame to get the score to 47-30. Townsend slammed in a triple from the baseline to push Milbank’s lead to 20 at 50-30. Webster traveled, and Schuneman made them pay with another baseline three-pointer –her third of the game that put the Lady Dawgs up 53-30. Schuneman also got the next bucket to put the score at 55-30. 

Ninke then collected her 15th point of the night at the line for Webster. Schuneman followed with a shot off the glass to mark her 21st point of the game. (57-31) V. Johnson fired another 3-point dagger for Milbank and the score landed at 60-31. Mallory Steiner took a trip to the line with a ticket from Neugebauer, and she picked up one point. (60-32) 

At the halfway mark in the quarter, Neugebauer was fouled in the act of shooting, but her extra point wouldn’t go in. At 62-32, Milbank held a 30-point lead and the Mercy Rule kept the clock running continuously, with 3:45 to go in the game. Steiner made a basket and was fouled by Pauli. She missed the extra point. (62-34) It was Pauli’s fourth personal and Lydia Gall came into the game to replace her. Milbank secured  the rebound, but Webster took it away enroute to the basket and Townsend responded by fouling her.

Ninke went to the line to shoot two. She made both. (62-36) Going down the stretch, Alyssa Zacher came in as a substitute and she sparked Webster, when she connected on a long 3-ball. Zacher moved  the score to 62-39, but it was the last flicker of a candle and the Lady Bulldogs snuffed it out at the buzzer. 

For Milbank, Schuneman racked up 21 points and four assists. She also had a rebound. Pauli scored 15 points and made three assists. She added eight rebounds and one steal. Hendricks scored 12 points – four 3-pointers. Neugebauer made eight points and an assist and added seven rebounds and a steal. Townsend scored three points and made six assists She hauled down six rebounds and made one steal. V. Johnson scored three points and made an assist. She also got two rebounds and two steals. Gall chipped in one rebound.

The Lady Bulldogs hit 52 percent of their shots from the floor. They hit 36 percent from long range. At the free throw line, they made five of 13 for 38.5 percent.

For Webster, Ninke led the way with 14 points and two assists. She had five boards. Sannes made seven points and two assists. She pulled down two rebounds and got a steal. Mammanga scored five points and added one assist, one rebound, and two steals. R. Johnson made four points and one rebound. Steiner also scored four points. Zacher put up three points. Hanson made two. Georgia Vergeht added two rebounds and one assist. Breske made an assist, two rebounds, and a steal. Kinsey Kueker grabbed a rebound.

The Lady Bearcats hit 38 percent of their shots from the floor. They downed 40 percent from behind the arc. Webster claimed nine of 15 at the stripe for 60 percent. 

MILBANK       14    16    17    15     62

WEBSTER       9     8      11    11     39