The regular season is winding down for the Lady Dragons and they have not let off as they come into their final games.  Now playing only conference games in the last two weeks, Malad delivered two losses to the West Side Pirates and the Declo Hornets on their home courts.  The wins now put the Lady Dragon’s season record at 19-1, an incredible feat.

The Pirates didn’t go down without a fight, playing a physical game against the Lady Dragons.  Malad dictated a fast pace, a pace that rushed West Side’s offense into taking hurried shots.  Throughout the game, the Pirates managed to take 34 shots, but only hit 6, a low 18%.  The Lady Dragons capitalized on the missed shots, grabbing 17 defensive rebounds.  Mikell Keetch led in rebounds with 6, followed by Brynnlee Jones with 5.

In addition to their strong defensive rebounding, the Lady Dragons forced 30 turnovers, 18 of those being direct steals.  Keetch also led in steals with 6, with Kiley Miller adding 3 more for Malad.  

If their tough defense frustrated the Pirates, the Lady Dragon’s offensive performance had to completely exasperate them.  West Side played a high pressure man to man defense, but it was never enough to shut down Malad.

In the opening quarter where the MHS team scored 19 points, the Lady Dragons managed to connect with the basket in a variety of ways that made it almost impossible for them to be shut down.  Liv Nelson, on the block, covered the basket to put back missed shots off the rebound.  Jones hit a contested three pointer from the top of the key while Keetch, driving to the hoop after a steal, put up two free throws after being fouled on the shot.  

Regardless of where or how they were shooting, Malad found a way to score.  Jones led the team in scoring as she put up 16 points with Paityn Ward adding 13.

The Pirates attempted to fight back as they came back into the third quarter, but only managed to put up 9 points while the Lady Dragons still posted 15.  Going into the third quarter up 51-17, the clock went unstopped throughout the final quarter, the game ending 55-19.

 Saturday, January 25, Malad took the long drive to Declo for their second matchup against the Hornets.  Despite struggling to hit their shots, the Lady Dragons gutted out the game to once again claim the victory.  

Keetch and Vanbebber worked throughout the game to find their way to the hoop, contributing 15 and 14 points respectively, while Izzy Haycock and Nelson added 8 each.  

The Lady Dragon defense held the Hornets to 38 points as they played both a tough half court and full court defense.  Adjusting to the Declo offensive attack, Malad began anticipating the incoming passes.  Throughout the 32 minute game, the MHS team tallied 14 steals, led by Teagan Daniels with 4. 

Commenting on two conference games, Head Coach Trevor Jones shared, “It’s the end of the season and all the teams have come a long way.  Teams are going to adjust and try new things.  It was good to see some girls really step up. We got some different looks and it was great to see our girls adjust and come away with a couple more wins.”

Looking ahead to their last game of the season, Coach Jones said, “These games will help with seeding for the post season tournaments.  Every game is important now. Senior night will be another good test and then it’s time for the district tournament! Hopefully we can heal up, after having had a couple injuries. This time of year is about staying healthy, staying together as a team, and staying hungry for that next battle.”

The Lady Dragons will play their last home game of the season on January 29 against the Soda Springs Cardinals before competing in the 3A 5th District Tournament.

Malad vs West Side

Thursday, January 23, 2025

1 2 3 4 T

West Side  5 3 9 2 19

Malad  19 17 15 4 55

# ATHLETE PTS REB AST STL BLK

1 Samantha Shrenk 0 0 0 1 0

2 Kiley Miller 8 2 1 3 0

3 Brinley Clark 0 2 0 0 0

4 Teagan Daniels 0 0 0 1 0

5 Brynnlee Jones 16 5 2 0 1

10 Izzy Haycock 4 3 2 2 0

11 Mikell Keetch 4 6 4 6 0

12 Paityn Ward 13 4 1 1 0

13 Scarlet Hawkes 2 1 0 0 0

14 Mady VanBebber 4 3 2 2 2

15 Braylin Beutler 0 1 0 0 1

24 Liv Nelson 4 4 1 2 1

TEAM TOTALS 55 31 13 18 5

Malad vs Declo

Saturday, January 25, 2025

1 2 3 4 T

Declo  11 5 14 8 38

Malad  16 18 8 10 52

# ATHLETE PTS REB AST STL BLK

4 Teagan Daniels 0 0 0 4 0

5 Brynnlee Jones 2 4 2 2 2

10 Izzy Haycock 8 4 4 2 0

11 Mikell Keetch 15 8 5 1 0

12 Paityn Ward 4 0 1 1 0

13 Scarlet Hawkes 1 0 0 0 0

14 Mady VanBebber 14 5 1 4 0

24 Liv Nelson 8 8 0 0 4

TEAM TOTALS 52 29 13 14 6