Lady Bulldogs Go Down to the Wire With No. 2 Hamlin

The Lady Bulldogs lost a squeaker 39-36 at Hamlin on Tuesday, February 3. Milbank came into the game at 10-2. Hamlin sat at 11-1 and were ranked second in the state under Mahpiya Luta High School in Pine Ridge. MLHS holds a perfect 15-0 record. 

Milbank, always fleet of foot however, proved they could hang with the best. The first rebound of the game was controlled by Milbank’s Anna Neugebauer. Milbank’s Avery Schuneman scored a 3-pointer to get the Lady Bulldogs on the board first at 3-0.

Hamlins’ Addie Jensen quickly answered  with a field goal. Adison Pauli couldn’t get her shot to drop, but Belle Pauli got the putback to claim the two points for Milbank. The Lady Bulldogs moved ahead 5-2. Jensen hit another two for Hamlin to close the gap to 5-4. On the rebound, B. Pauli ended up on the floor tortoise-style, but she kept her cool and managed to unload the ball to her teammate. 

After the rebound by B. Pauli, A. Schuneman got to the rim, but she was tied up. The possession arrow favored Milbank.  B.P. was hassled by two Lady Chargers. and she got deep in the shot clock, but she put one up and in to get Milbank to 7-4. 

Jensen took a shot for Hamlin, but she missed. She  also committed a foul. The jumpball went to Hamlin, but they committed a shot clock violation.The Lady Chargers were feeling the pressure from Milbank’s defense. With 2:13 to go in the quarter, Issie Steffenson sent up a three. It was no good. Hamlin grabbed the rebound and Stefffenson made another attempt. It also was not good. Jensen tried again from under the basket, and it also wouldn’t go in.. Hamlin’s Paxton Neuendorf then picked up her second foul and headed to the bench. It was Milbank’s ball, but Neugebauer tripped and was called for traveling.  With 25 seconds to go in the quarter, Hamlin waited to take a shot, but A. Neuendorf’s triple missed the mark. The first quarter ended at 7-4.

The second quarter started with Hamlin going on a 7-0 run to get the score to 11-7 with the Lady Chargers in the lead.  B. Pauli was fouled and went to the stripe to collect two to get Milbank to 11-9. Hamlin came up empty-handed in their next possession. B. Pauli then knocked in a three to get Milbank ahead again at 12-11. 

On the rebound, A. Schuneman got the steal and took the ball up and in to put Milbank up 14-11. Hamlin was forced to wait till deep in the shot clock for their next attempt, and they missed, but Steffenson got to the line. Her first one didn’t fall, but the second rolled in. The score sat at 14-12. A. Pauli aimed for a three, but it  wouldn’t cooperate. She snagged the rebound and maneuvered the putback to push the Lady Bulldogs ahead 16-12. 

A.Neuendorf’s next three wasn’t good. Milbank grabbed the steal, but Bree Townsend’s shot from long range was no good.  A. Neuendorf got the rebound to Jensen. She hit the bucket to put things at 16-14. S. Schuneman was fouled by P. Neuendorf– her third in the game. S. Schuneman’s first free throw wouldn’t fall, but her second attempt was successful to keep Milbank ahead at 17-14. Jensen got a bucket underneath and narrowed the gap to 17-16, but the Bulldogs were still in the lead.

 With 2:15 on the clock,  A. Schuneman was lying on the court in pain as the crowd looked on. Officials called an injury timeout. Much to the anguish of Milbank fans, S. Schuneman disappeared into the locker room and was unable to rejoin the game. 

The quarter ended after Sarita Stevenson got a basket and A. Pauli  fouled her  in the act of shooting. Stevenson made the extra point and the score sat at 19-18 with Hamlin leading by one.

Neugebauer scored the first two points of the second half for MIlbank when she backed her way under the basket and worked the ball up and in. Neuendorf for Hamlin connected on a long three. B. Pauli replied with a 3-point dagger for Milbank. The score moved to 23-22 in favor of MIlbank. Steffenson then  fired in another three to take the lead back for Hamlin at 25-23.

B.Pauli was robbed by Hamlin, but  P. Neuendorf’s 3-pointer failed to go in. Steffenson got the rebound to A. Neuendorf, and she ran it to the basket to add two-points for the Lady Chargers.  The score sat at 27-23. Milbank’s next attempts were unsuccessful and eventually ended in a tie up. The arrow favored Milbank. A. Pauli decided to make hay while the sun was shining, and she  planted a three to record her first points of the night.  The score sat 27-26 with Milbank trailing by one. 

The Lady Bulldogs’ defense was also operating in overdrive and allowed S. Schuneman to find a hole to hit another field goal. She got the Lady Bulldogs back out in front at  28-27. Steffenson then launched a long three that failed to hit the target. After the rebound, Milbank stood their ground, and P. Neuendorf was called for an offensive foul – her fourth personal. 

With 1:40 to go in the quarter, Paise Stormo made a basket to take Hamlin out in front again at 29-28. Neugebauer also dropped in a basket for the Lady Bulldogs, and she was fouled, but her extra shot wouldn’t fall. However, Neugebauer, a 6-foot senior, had put Milbank in the lead again at 30-29. That’s where the score remained to close out the third quarter. 

A. Neuendorf came into the fourth and knocked down a triple to wrestle the lead back for Hamlin at 32-30. At 7:05 on the game clock, Milbank lost the ball out of bounds, but Hamlin wasted their opportunity by throwing up a shot that was way off. S Schuneman followed with a beauty from long range to put the Lady Bulldogs ahead 33-32. A. Neuendorf then hit a two-pointer to swing the pendulum back to Hamlin at 34-33. Stevenson also got fouled, and she added two points for Hamlin. The Lady Chargers were up by three at 36-33. 

Townsend got trapped with the ball, and Coach Howard called a timeout. With just over five minutes to go, Milbank traveled, Hamlin blew a shot, two jump balls, and a blown pass by Hamlin got the clock down to just over four minutes. A.Pauli found some alone time in the corner, and she nailed a three-pointer to tie the score at 36-36!

A stuck ball, a tie-up that favored Milbank, a turnover by Milbank and a timeout by Hamlin got the timer down to just over three minutes Jensen got fouled, but only hit one.  The score went to 37-36. Hamlin grabbed the rebound, but couldn’t figure out their shot. With the shot clock threatening to go off, Milbank fouled.  A. Neuendorf missed, but  Steffenson got the rebound. Her shot was too strong. A tie up ensued on the rebound. 

With a minute and a half to go, the score was still at 37-36. Milbank trailed by one. Neugebauer drew the foul, but neither of her shots would drop. With 1:11 to go, Neugebauer stole the ball for Milbank, but the Lady Bulldogs’ shot was no good. Milbank’s Violet Johnson fouled to stop the clock at 19.6 seconds. A. Neuendorf went to the line, but she collected just one of the two to put the score at 38-36. With time running out, Milbank attempted a basket, but it didn’t go in. Neugebauer then stopped the clock again by fouling Steffenson. Steffenson also collected just one to move the needle to 39-36.  But too much time had elapsed and the Lady Bulldogs took the loss at 39-36.

B. Pauli recorded a double-double for Milbank with 14 points and 11 rebounds. S.Schuneman and A. Pauli each scored six points. A. Pauli made two assists and S. Schuneman had one. They each had one rebound. Neugebauer scored five points and  one assist. She secured nine rebounds and got two blocks and a steal. A. Schuneman made five points – including a 3-pointer. She also got credit for an assist and two rebounds before leaving the game. Townsend made one assist and three rebounds.

The Lady Bulldogs made 35 percent of their shots from the floor. They hit six of 18 from long range. Milbank also made 44 percent of their free throws.

The Lady Chargers were led by A. Neuendorf and Jensen. A.Neuendorf made 11 points and Jensen had 10. Steffenson had eight points and Stevenson made seven. Jensen hauled down seven rebounds and A. Neuendorf got six. Steffenson made five rebounds. Stormo added two points. P. Neuendorf made one point.

Hamlin hit 30 percent of their shots from the floor. They made 20 percent from long range and 64 percent from the stripe.

MILBANK       7     11     12     6     36

HAMLIN         4     15     10   10     39