Starting off their season in a big way, the Lady Dragons played their home opener on Saturday, November 11 as they hosted the 3A American Falls Beavers.  At the end of the night, all three teams came out on top, sweeping the Beavers and demonstrating what a ride it will be to follow along the MHS Lady Dragons play.

As it was Veterans Day, the night began honoring all of the brave men and women who have, and still do, valiantly served this country.  The players, coaches, and fans had the honor to watch as the American Legion Post #65 of Malad took the floor with the Dragonettes and MHS Cheer team as the flag was presented for the National Anthem, played by the MHS Pep Band.  

The game got underway with the Beavers winning the tipoff and making their way to their basket to fire off a quick shot.  After the rebound by Brynnlee Jones, Izzy Haycock brought the ball down the court to find Oakley Hebdon open in the corner, who put it up for three to get the first points on the board for the Lady Dragons.  On their next trip down the court, the Beavers answered in kind, hitting a three pointer of their own, telling Malad that this game was going to be a fight.

American Falls set up in a quick full court press after their made basket but the Lady Dragons were prepared and easily moved the ball passed half court where Hallie Horsley caught the ball only to connect down under the hoop with Olivia Nelson for a layup.  The Lady Dragons kept working as they moved up and down the court, making steals and converting them to points.  

Hebdon could hardly be shut down from the field as continued to put up shots and sink them for Malad.  Part way through the first quarter, Haycock brought the ball down, driving into the key and forcing the defense to pick her up, leaving Hebdon open on the wing.  Connecting with a quick pass, Haycock sent the ball out to Hebdon who put it in for another three pointer.  

The Malad offense wasn’t the only thing the Lady Dragons had going for them as the clock wound down.  Their gritty defense put up quite a challenge for the Beavers.  On a long defensive rebound, it looked like American Falls had a wide open court for a fast break.  Jones burned down the court to not only stop the ball but swat it from the AF player.  Mikell Keetch was hot on her heels, diving for the loose ball and ending up on the bottom of the pile up.  The Lady Dragons were determined to protect their basket at all costs.  The buzzer finally rang to close out the first quarter with Malad up 20-12.

American Falls was quick to make adjustments as they stepped out on the court to begin the second quarter.  They tightened up their full court press, making it difficult for the Lady Dragons to move the ball down the floor.  They began hitting the rebounds hard and then turning to look for the quick outlet pass down the sideline.  Offensively they spread out their shooters around the perimeter to hit some big shots from the outside.  Their changes were effective and before long, they had narrowed the gap on the scoreboard and tied it at 22 points.  

Determined to reclaim their lead, Malad closed up their defense to minimize shots from the outside and totally deny passes to the inside.  Offensively, they began passing the ball down to the posts as AF had closed up the wings.  Both strategies brought them back on top to regain the lead to end the first half 27-24.

Making some crucial adjustments at the half time, the Lady Dragons came out with great energy and intensity.  Hebdon once again found a connection with the hoop, putting up Malad’s next seven points to make their lead 34-24.  While Hebdon was the one putting the final touch on the ball, it was nothing short of a team effort to put some distance between them and American Falls on the scoreboard.  

As a team, the Lady Dragons held together a tight defense, forcing turnovers and taking steals.  Hebdon led the team with 3 steals with Nelson and Kiley Miller adding two more each.  The team executed their offense at a high level, patiently waiting and then working the ball around with sure passes.  Leading out on assists for the night was Haycock with 7.  The Lady Dragons showed up big when it came time to hit the board, totally up 51 as a team, led by Nelson with 15 and Horsley with 12.  Malad outrebounded American Falls by nearly two times, grabbing 51 rebounds to their 26. 

The Lady Dragons closed out the final two minutes of the quarter with their full court press, creating havoc and chaos to clearly dominate the court and put the momentum in their favor.  The Beavers reacted with rushed passes that Malad was able to anticipate, steal and convert to more points on the board.  As the third quarter zeroed at, the Lady Dragons spread their lead to 45-32.

Despite having control of the game, Malad knew the game was far from over.  They came out ready to finish it as they stepped on to the court in the fourth quarter.  With three quarters behind them, they came out with confidence that could be seen in their shots, passes and defense.  Over the last eight minutes they had minimal turnovers and a more controlled play.  Try as they might, the Beavers never could find an opening to swing things in their favor as the game wound down, ultimately falling to the Lady Dragons 53-39.

Coach Jones couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome of their opening game as they chalked up their first win for the season.  Talking about the game he shared, “We came out so strong in the first quarter but things got shaky in the second.  Over halftime we talked about how we had to adapt, both on offense and defense.  Then they came out and did it.  We are proud of how hard they worked and proved that they are going to be fierce this season.”

The Lady Dragons will hit the road for their second game of the season as they play against the Firth Cougars on Wednesday, November 15 followed by a matchup against Ririe at home on Saturday, November 18.