No one can dispute that the Lady Dragons have had an exciting and successful season thus far.  Collecting eleven wins before pausing for the Christmas break has been no easy feat.  A number of teams have pushed their talent, dedication and commitment in a way that only sheer will and grit could help them win out like they have.

Jumping into the new year and the latter half of their season, the Malad team had a huge challenge set ahead of them- a second matchup with the only team to have beaten them this year.  On Saturday, January 4, the Lady Dragons hosted the Bear Lake Bears in what might have been the most meaningful game of the regular season.

While the Bears are no longer a conference opponent, the history between the two teams still leaves them a fierce rival.  That rivalry and the sting of the earlier defeat left the Lady Dragons determined to play this matchup at a whole new level.

From the first tip, the game was intense and physical as players from both teams hit the ground in pursuit of the ball.  Both teams quickly established a tough defense and dedicated offense.  It was Malad that scored the first basket of the game as Kiley Miller sank two bonus shots from the free throw line after being fouled on a baseline layup.

The game was clearly defense dominated as both teams were slow to put more points on the scoreboard.  Halfway through the first quarter, it seemed that each possession would land points for each team.  Miller hit up another lay-in for two points to be followed by a Bear Lake score to tie the game at 9 points each.  Brynnlee Jones made a move through the key for another Malad basket followed by the Bears working in another shot of their own.

Mady Vanbebber put Malad up by two points after Mikell Keetch dumped the pass in from the high post.  On the other end of the court, Jones put a stop to Bear Lake’s next score with a quick block.  The Lady Dragons led 13-12 as the first quarter ended.

The MHS team never let up in their intensity as they continued through the first half, while never giving up their lead.  Bear Lake’s defense featured a quickly moving zone that collapsed hard anytime the ball would come inside the key.  Malad found the weakness in their defense with fastball movement and a quick drive and kick out. 

Keetch on the wing found herself with two defenders coming after her, leading to a quick dish down to Miller in the corner.  With the defender on the block coming out to cover her, Liv Nelson was left open under the hoop.  Hitting her with the pass, Nelson scored the shot to put the Lady Dragons up by another two.

In a reverse fashion, Nelson had the ball on the free throw line, Keetch and Vanbebber cutting to the basket.  The Bear Lake defense jumped to defend the cut as Miller on the outside relocated two steps down the arc.  Connecting with her open teammate, Nelson passed out for the three point shot.

Outscoring the Bears in the second quarter, the Lady Dragons went into half up 25-21.

If Bear Lake was hoping Malad would let up as they set into the third quarter, they were highly disappointed.  The MHS defense was everywhere, forcing jump balls, blocking shots, and pressuring turnovers.  Over the 8 minute period, Malad only allowed 8 points to be scored while extending their lead by 13 to go into the fourth quarter, 37-29.

The battle on the court continued just as hit had been played out the previous three quarters.  As the clock hit the midway mark, Bear Lake had a sudden urge, putting up 6 points without any response from Malad.  Their lead dropping to just three points, the Lady Dragons knew they had to play with near perfection if they were going to hold onto their lead.

Jones hit a crucial free throw to extend their lead by one more point but the Bears cut it down to two again with just over two minutes remaining.  The tension and pressure were palpable through the gym and the crowd began chanting “Defense” to spur the MHS effort on.  

Bear Lake went up for another basket, bumping it off the rim.  Nelson and her defender both grabbed the rebound, the jump ball call going to the Lady Dragons.  Izzy Haycock, passing the ball in from the baseline, connected with Keetch to bring the ball down the floor.  Desperate for a steal or turnover, the Bears put up a full court pressure.  Keetch aggressively began dribbling the ball towards half quart as she hit with a foul, Bear Lake’s fifth.

Now in the bonus, Keetch confidently stepped up to the foul line before Bear Lake called a time out.  Returning to shoot her bonus shots, Keetch dropped both through the net to put them back up by four points.

Bringing the ball down with 55.1 seconds left in the game, Bear Lake attempted to execute a quick scoring play but instead tipped the ball out of bounds.  Once again, Keetch was inbounded the ball, fouled and sent to the free throw line where once again she sank both shots to put them up 45-39.  

Now with 25.8 seconds left, the Bears were desperate to score.  Getting off a quick three, the ball bounced out with Izzy Haycock securing the rebound and receiving the foul.  With only 8 seconds left on the clock, the game was decided.  After grabbing the rebounding, Bear Lake hoped to at least minimize the gap but came up short.  

As the final buzzer rang out, the Lady Dragons celebrated their hard won victory, 45-39.  Cheering on with his team, Head Coach Trevor Jones commented, “That was a big one for us. We all had that one marked on the calendar and were looking forward to it. The girls put in a lot of work, in prepping and training. 

“Bear Lake is a powerhouse ranked #5 in the state across all classifications and are the defending state champs with their whole team back. They got us pretty good the first game of the year. So to beat them really showed our growth.  The girls’ toughness and determination was on full display and they shined.  The girls work hard and have fun doing it. 

“We are hoping we can stick together, keep learning, and keep that fire and focus on the next play. It will be an exciting second half of the season.” 

Giving a shout out to the fans that helped root them on to their big win Coach Jones said, “The support from the community was awesome. Having such a big crowd created such an electric atmosphere. It was also great to see so many of the youth in their junior basketball gear and cheering us on.”

Now into their final weeks of the regular season, the Lady Dragons are set to take on conference opponents as they host the Declo Hornets Wednesday, January 8 and travel to Soda Springs for their first matchup against the Cardinals Friday, January 10. 

MHS vs Bear Lake

Saturday, January 4, 2025

1 2 3 4 T

MHS  13 12 12 8 45

BL  12 9 8 10 39

Name PTS REB AST STL BLK

2 Kiley Miller 7 2 3 2 0

4 Teagan Daniels 0 0 0 0 0

5 Brynnlee Jones 14 4 0 0 1

10 Izzy Haycock 1 4 4 1 1

11 Mikell Keetch 9 5 2 1 0

12 Paityn Ward 0 0 1 0 0

14 Mady VanBebber 8 6 0 0 1

24 Liv Nelson 6 8 2 0 1

TOTALS 45 29 12 4 4