While the MHS student body was enjoying the Christmas holiday break, the Lady Dragon basketball team crossed off two big games from their schedule.  First, a matchup against the 6A Lehi Pioneers on Saturday, December 27.  A week later, the MHS team traveled to Aberdeen for their postponed game in their second conference game of the season.  

Hosting the Pioneers in their first ever contest, the Lady Dragons were excited about the opportunity to take on such a strong opponent.  Recognizing the skill and talent, Malad knew that their game would be a battle on the court.  Looking through their current record and schedule of games, the MHS team could see that Lehi’s team was a defensive lockdown team, holding their opponents to their lowest scoring game of the season by an average of 10 points.  While they had lost several games in the season, they had also claimed some big wins, including their win of the Southern Classic Tournament in Cedar City December 6.

Malad started out strong, putting up 15 points to lead the first quarter.  Working the ball inside played a crucial part to their offensive game, scoring most of their points from inside the key or from the free throw line.  Mady Vanbebber did well to attack the basket, drawing fouls and scoring points for the MHS team.  Kiley Miller went 2/2 at the free throw line with Brynnlee Jones, Izzy Haycock, and Mikell Keetch all adding their own.

The second quarter of the game showcased the defensive prowess of both teams, Malad holding Lehi scoreless while only scoring 3 points themselves.  The MHS defense brought several looks, going both man and zone, each with their own strengths to shut down the Pioneer offensive attempts.  The switchups also brought some amount of chaos and confusion to Lehi’s play.  Coming into the half, the Lady Dragons led 18-15, a clear demonstration of their effort, hustle, and talent.

Regrouping at the half, the two teams resumed playing into the second half, a test to see who adjusted best to finish out the game.  Both teams found the means to rouse their offense, the Pioneers putting up 19 points to the Lady Dragons 14, shrinking Malad’s lead as the third quarter closed out.  

Late in the quarter, Lehi began to surge, reacting to an official’s call they didn’t agree with but certainly lit a fire within them.  With momentum swinging their way, slowing their advances was a challenge for the MHS team, including the buzzer beater three point shot to end the quarter and put them behind by just a single point.

Playing with the same sense of urgency and momentum, the Pioneers continued to play a strong game as they moved through the fourth quarter.  As the time ticked down, Lehi gained the lead, Malad unable to keep pace.  With only a few minutes left to play, the Lady Dragons attempted to steal the ball or foul in order to force a turnover, hoping for scoring opportunities on their possession.  Unfortunately, the Pioneers thwarted their attempts at a comeback, playing their tough defense to the very end of the game where they claimed the victory, 43-39.

The loss was disappointing for the Lady Dragons, especially since they had led in the opening half.  But a number of small victories came in its wake- holding the Pioneers to one of their lowest scoring games of the season, keeping them entirely scoreless for a single quarter, and most importantly, keeping pace with the 6A state contender for 32 minutes on the court.

January 2, the team traveled to Aberdeen to play their rescheduled game from mid-December.  The Lady Dragons swept the night as the MHS C-team, JV, and Varsity took home the wins. 

Malad jumped to an early lead in the varsity matchup, going up 17-0 with just under 2 minutes left to play in the first quarter before the Tigers put up their first points.  The MHS scoring included outside shots by Jones and Haycock, inside moves to the basket by Liv Nelson, and a scoring drive by Paityn Ward.  Ward continued to connect with the basket as she continued to score in the second quarter, putting up 7 of the 9 points for the quarter.

Coming into the second half up 28-5, the Lady Dragons continued to dominate the court as they had another big scoring quarter.  Leading Malad with 14 rebounds, Nelson made the most of her second chance shots to add 6 points to the MHS score.  Malad outscored Aberdeen, 17 points to 8 as they ended the third quarter.  Up by 32 points to begin the fourth quarter, the clock ran the duration of the game, diminishing their scoring opportunities.  Adding just 4 points in the final period of the game, the Lady Dragon claimed the win 49-21.

Malad will host their upcoming game as they take on the Marsh Valley Eagles on Tuesday, January 6.  They will then hit the road to play conference opponents Declo and Soda Springs on Wednesday and Friday respectively.