Before taking off for the Holiday break, the Malad girl’s basketball team played back to back games at Ririe and North Fremont, splitting the games with a win and a loss.  Having previously played both teams at home, the Lady Dragons knew that each game would be a fight, each game proving just how right they were.

It was a foot race from the tip off as the MHS team faced off against the Ririe Bulldogs in “The Dogpound.”  From the very beginning of the game, both teams came out ready to push the ball down the court.  It seemed that with every shot the Lady Dragons put up, the Bulldogs would match.  Over the opening quarter, the two teams traded the lead over and over again. Ririe ended the quarter ahead, 12-13.  

But Malad came out in a big way in the second quarter, outscoring their opponents 19-7.  With disciplined play from both teams and officials making minimal calls to let the girls play it out on the court, the final three minutes of the half were full of quick transitions up and down the court.  Being in great condition, the Lady Dragons quickly wore down the Bulldogs and converted their opportunities to points on the scoreboard.  Mikell Keetch ended the half with a perfectly timed buzzer beater from the top of the key to bring the score to 31-20.

Ririe made the most of the break at the half to catch their wind to eventually narrow the gap to 41-35 as they played through the third quarter.  Kiely Miller put up a three pointer one minute into the fourth quarter after a quick pass from Oaklie Hebdon from the top of the key.  The Bulldogs answered with two big shots from behind the arc on their next two possessions to bring the score to 44-43.  

Not ready to roll over and give up the game, the Lady Dragons stepped up their play, both offensively and defensively, putting a stop to the Bulldog’s momentum.  Hallie Horsley grabbed the offensive rebound on their next trip down the floor to put back up for two more points.  Izzy Haycock snagged a crucial steal as she dropped down into help side defense just in time to intercept a bounce pass to the block.  Bringing the ball down the court, Haycock passed it in to Hebdon for the shot.  Missing the jumper, Olivia Nelson came in for the rebound, hitting the shot and the bonus foul shot after.

Haycock added two more points on the next possession with a jumper from the corner of the foul line, bringing the score 51-45.  Hebdon played a vital part over the final minute of the game as she repeatedly stepped up to the free throw line to hit five of six free throws.  Ririe only posted three additional points as the clock wound down, giving the Lady Dragons victory over the Bulldogs, 56-48.

Throughout the night, Nelson grabbed an impressive 17 rebounds, as well as having 9 points, 2 steals, and 4 blocks.  Hebdon led in points with 14, adding 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.  Horsley put up another 11 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 assist for the game. 

Traveling to Ashton, Idaho the following day, the Malad team took on an entirely different game as they played the North Fremont Huskies.  In a much slower paced and aggressive contest, the Lady Dragons played in what has likely been their most physical game thus far.

Shutting down the inside game turned out to be a real challenge despite Malad’s tough and quick defense.  Over the course of the four quarters, the two teams were neck and neck on the scoreboard, taking the game down to the last seconds of the game.  With just 32 seconds left in the game, the Huskies went to the free throw line, sinking both to tie the game, 42-42.  

Waiting until the very last moment to take a shot, the Lady Dragons worked the ball around the outside to wear the clock down, hoping to win with a buzzer beater, or at the least, give them a second chance in overtime.  With 5 seconds left, Hebdon put up a jump shot from outside the key, hitting it off the rim and bouncing over for a Husky rebound.  North Fremont called a timeout just as the final buzzer rang.  The officials allowed the timeout, putting .7 seconds on the clock.  Malad found themselves in a difficult situation, not wanting to allow a shot but also not wanting to play too aggressively and give up bonus shots on the foul line.

With what must have been a little Christmas magic, the Huskies threw the ball in from beyond half court and put up a shot from inside the arc just before the final time expired, pulling out the win, 42-44.

The last minute loss was frustrating for the MHS team, but they are only allowing it to impact them in a good way.  Head Coach Trevor Jones, “That sting of a loss hurts.  We didn’t lose that game on a last second shot but rather on the little details throughout the game.  We are going to use that loss to motivate us for the games coming ahead.  Over the break we have had some of our best practices and we hope to bring an even more consistent and intense game for our next games.”

The Lady Dragons have a busy week ahead of them as they play the Bear River Bears in Tremonton, Utah on Tuesday, January 2.  Thursday, January 4 they will host Bear Lake in their first matchup of the season, as well as Soda Springs on Saturday, January 6.