Before pausing for the Thanksgiving break, the Lady Dragons took the short ride to Arimo to take on the Marsh Valley Eagles.  The coach of the 4A team had spoken proudly of her team, boasting that come postseason the Eagles were going to be a serious contender for the state champion title.  As the Malad team stepped on the court ready for a highly competitive game, she confidently believed that Marsh Valley would come out on top.  

But after watching the Lady Dragons play four quarters of dominating basketball she had to be wondering- did she overestimate how well her team could play or did the Lady Dragons play the game at a whole different level?

The MHS team was the first to put points on the scoreboard just over a minute into the game.  Point guard Mikell Keetch passed the ball to Kiley Miller on the wing, moving down into the key to set a screen for Liv Nelson on the opposite block.  As Nelson curled around the screen, Miller hit her with the pass for a quick lay in and two points for Malad.  They managed two more easy buckets off a baseline inbound play and drive into the key.

It wasn’t long before Marsh Valley took a different approach to slow down the MHS offense.  After bumping the ball out of bounds, the Eagles capitalized on a chance to bring a full court defensive pressure to the game.  The Lady Dragons were more than prepared for the trapping defense as they quickly passed the ball across the court.  Forcing the defense to shift with every pass, Malad found Nelson open on the block.  Missing her first shot, Nelson snagged the rebound and laid it off the glass for an easy two points.

The Lady Dragons answered the Eagles full court pressure with their own, forcing a turnover pass on their first go and followed by a blocked shot and recovery on the second.  The full court defense made it even more difficult for Marsh Valley to execute on offence, giving them even fewer scoring opportunities.  The strong MHS offense and tough, lock down defense ended the quarter 18-4.

On the very first play of the second quarter, the Lady Dragons easily put up three points as Keetch connected with Brynnlee Jones in the deep corner, made possible with the screen by Miller and inside seal by Nelson.  As they played out the remainder of the half, the MHS team continued to find their way to the hoop to expand their lead on the scoreboard.  

What was even more impressive was how their defense allowed the Eagles only four more points earned at the free throw line.

The Malad defense, set up in a tight zone, proved impossible for Marsh Valley to beat.  The few shots taken were rushed and failed to convert to anything positive.  Jones, defending on the block, forced a number of normally easy shots to be thrown up and turned into MHS rebounds.  Playing solid help defense, Miller stole the ball on the wing pass into the post for a shot on the other end.  Teagan Daniels stepped into the lane to take away the drive and then just as quickly took away the outside shot on the arc as the ball was kicked out.    

Coming into the second half 29-8, the Eagles were desperate to make up the gap on the scoreboard.  But playing consistent basketball, the Lady Dragons continued to outscore them with their keen execution and sound defense, although most of their scoring opportunities came from defensive steals or breaking the Marsh Valley full court press.

Getting the ball over half court, Izzy Haycock found an open lane to the hoop, driving for a quick lay in.  On the next possession and in nearly the exact fashion, Haycock took the ball in for a second drive.  Missing the shot, Nelson grabbed the rebound and put it back in for the bank shot.  Keetch claimed the next steal as they pressured the Eagles full court, converting the play for another two points.  Defending on the elbow, Miller managed to rip the ball out of the hands of the Marsh Valley player.  Haycock scooped up the loose ball as Keetch sprinted down the opposite side of the court.  As the defense turned to stop the ball, Haycock passed over the three defenders to connect with Keetch, finishing the fast break with a left handed lay in.

Paityn Ward hit a deep corner three points just into the fourth quarter, putting the Lady Dragons up by thirty points to set the clock to run continually.  Despite the short time of the final quarter, Malad still managed another 14 point quarter.  Daniels banked in the last score for the Lady Dragons, setting the final score 57-23.

Following the game, Head Coach Trevor Jones commented on the game, saying, “This is Dragon basketball.  It’s not selfish- giving up a good shot for an even better shot by a teammate.  It’s lockdown defense that doesn’t give up an easy shot or bail them out with a foul.  If we keep playing like this, we will do great things with this season.” 

Coming off the short Thanksgiving break, the Lady Dragons will next compete in the three day Ririe tournament.  The Varsity/JV tournament will begin for Malad with the varsity.