The Lady Dragons had their first conference game of the season as they hosted the West Side Pirates.  The MHS team easily dominated the fast paced game to more than double the Pirates score.  

Before their matchup against West Side, Malad returned to Ririe for a weeknight game to play the Bulldogs just three days after they defeated them in the championship game of the Bulldog Shootout Tournament.

In near identical fashion to their previous game, Liv Nelson won the tipoff, sending the ball to Kiley Miller.  Miller dribbled down the court drifting to the right side.  As the Lady Dragons began setting up, Miller found Izzy Haycock open on the arc to hit the same opening shot to put Malad up 3-0 after the first five seconds of the game.

Studying their previous game, the Lady Dragons were prepared for the Bulldog offense as they moved to the other end of the court.  Ririe ran their usual pass up followed by an off ball screen for a back cut to the baseline.  Anticipating the incoming pass, Haycock jumped in the lane to steal the ball.  These opening possessions turned out to be an accurate forecast of the remaining game.

Throughout the opening quarter, Malad posted 19 points while holding Ririe to only 6, four points which came from the free throw line.  Post players Liv Nelson and Mady Vanbebber took advantage of being left open on the arc, each hitting an uncontested three pointer.  Miller added 4 points, converting two defensive steals into easy fast break layups.

The Lady Dragon defense didn’t let up as their tough man to man defense left few opportunities for the Bulldogs to connect with the hoop.  Malad’s pressure and help side defense continued to force turnovers and give opportunities for anticipated steals.  

While Ririe continued to struggle offensively, their defense began to step up, allowing fewer open shots for the MHS team.  Fortunately the Lady Dragons were well prepared for the pressure and patiently executed their offense to still outscore the Bulldogs as they went into the half.

If Ririe was opening for redemption in the third quarter they were sorely disappointed.  It was clearly a defense dominated quarter as both teams put up single points throughout the eight minute period.  It wasn’t until the final seconds that the Bulldogs finally put a shot through the hoop, only scoring 2 points for the quarter.

Ririe made an attempt at a comeback as they posted their most points in the fourth quarter.  Simultaneously, Malad struggled to maintain their discipline offensively as they began the quarter.  Seeing the Bulldogs make a push on the court, they once again stepped up to their usual high level execution to finish the game 49-24.

Vanbebber led the team in scoring with 9 points as well as free throws with 8.  Miller had 5 steals and 2 defelections to lead in the defensive stats.  Miler, Mikell Keetch, and Paityn Ward each added 4 assists throughout the game.

With another win to their record, the Lady Dragons hosted the Pirates on Saturday, December 14.  Malad set the tone and pace of the game early, bringing their full court defense that quickly converted into a number of offensive opportunities.  In addition to steals and pressured turnovers, the Lady Dragon’s rebounding limited what the Pirates were able to accomplish on offense.  

Malad easily outpaced West Side in every statistic on the books.  The Lady Dragons not only scored more points but had more shots taken as well as a higher percentage made.  They tallied 41 total rebounds to the Pirates 20, out rebounding them on both ends of the court.  The MHS team had 23 offensive rebounds and 18 defensive while their opponent had 6 offensive and 14 defensive rebounds.  As a team Malad totaled 18 assists, 20 steals with only 12 turnovers compared to West Sides 0 assists, 6 steals, and 27 turnovers.

The third quarter proved to be the Lady Dragons highest scoring quarter as they dropped 22 points led by Haycock’s 9.  All but one of those scoring opportunities came from their executed offense.  Their quick defense, impressive rebounding and fast paced transition play turned into its own effective offense.  In the final 20 seconds of the quarter, Haycock hit two quick lay-ins, the first on a fast transition after Keetch snagged the rebound, pushing the ball through the defense to connect on the block.  

Ward took another steal from the Pirates, heading down to Malad’s basket for the fast break with Haycock following downcourt to the opposite block.  Reaching the basket with two defenders on her, Ward jump stopped, reverse pivoted into the key, and bounce passed down to Haycock for the bank shot as the final second ticked off the clock.

Moving into the quarter more than 30 points ahead, the clock ran the entire final quarter, ending the 62-30.  

Next on the schedule for the Lady Dragons will be their Wednesday matchup against the Tigers in Aberdeen for their second conference game.  The following night will feature a matchup against American Falls in Malad before the Lady Dragons break for the Christmas holiday.

Malad @ Ririe

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

1 2 3 4 T

Malad  19 10 9 11 49

Ririe  6 7 2 9 24

# Name PTS REB AST STL DFL BLK

2 Kiley Miller 9 1 4 5 2 1

4 Teagan Daniels 4 0 0 1 0 0

5 Brynnlee Jones 7 7 1 0 1 0

10 Izzy Haycock 4 3 3 3 0 0

11 Mikell Keetch 6 2 4 2 0 0

12 Paityn Ward 0 3 4 1 0 0

13 Scarlet Hawkes 3 0 0 0 0 0

14 Mady VanBebber 11 8 0 1 0 0

24 Liv Nelson 5 6 0 0 0 1

TEAM TOTALS 49 30 16 13 3 1

Malad vs West Side

Saturday, December 14, 2024

  1 2 3 4 T

West Side  7 9 7 7 30

Malad  18 21 22 1 62

# Name PTS REB AST STL DFL BLK

2 Kiley Miller 10 6 4 4 3 0

4 Teagan Daniels 2 0 0 1 1 0

5 Brynnlee Jones 16 2 1 2 1 0

10 Izzy Haycock 13 9 5 1 0 0

11  Mikell Keetch 9 9 2 1 1 0

12 Paityn Ward 2 2 3 8 0 0

13 Scarlet Hawkes 0 2 0 0 0 0

14 Mady VanBebber 2 4 1 1 0 0

21 Kendra Rupp 0 1 0 0 1 0

24 Liv Nelson 8 7 2 2 0 3

TEAM TOTALS 62 42 18 20 7 3