Malad dropped a pair of road games last week, falling 64–55 to Soda Springs on Wednesday and 71–58 at Declo on Saturday, despite strong individual performances and competitive stretches in both contests.

Hosting the Cardinals, the Dragons kept pace as the game opened, trading baskets as they moved up and down the floor.  Braun Nalder began the scoring for the night, taking the pass from Ruger Smith at the top of the key before driving down the lane for the layup.  Easton Green improved Malad’s score to 5, getting a wide open look on the arc.

Ruger Smith drove inside the key for the quick pull up shot to advance Malad’s score after a small lull midway through the first quarter.  The Dragon’s next possession saw Oak Smith drain a deep three pointer, the basket pulling them ahead 10-8. 

All the while Malad was connecting with the basket, so were the Cardinals on the other end of the court.  Attacking the basket, shooting from the outside, and hitting bonus shots from the free throw line, Soda Springs were proving to be a challenging opponent.  The MHS team managed to maintain their lead as the first quarter ended, taking a 17–15 edge in the first frame of the game.

A lapse in play in the second quarter, proved to be the Dragons downfall of the night.  The Cardinals managed a surge on offense, putting up 18 points in the quarter in relation to Malad’s 7.  Small errors began to add up, taking away scoring opportunities for Malad while putting the ball in Soda Spring’s hands.

The MHS team largely stayed within striking distance until the Cardinals went on an 11 to 4 run to end the half up by 9, 33-24.

The Dragons jumped right back into the game after the halftime pause, Ruger Smith hitting a wide open three off the pass from Justin Toone on the block.

Rebounding and second chance shots became key for Malad as it led to their next scoring opportunities.  Ruger Smith went to line after getting fouled on the attempt, landing both free throws.  Toone grabbed a put back as well, snagging the rebound on the right block before powering back up for the lay in.

Slowly inching their way back into the game, the Dragons attempted to close the gap on the score board, but it seemed every time they made progress, the Cardinals were right back there to widen it again.  The MHS team managed to win the third quarter, squeaking by 16-15.

It continued to be a tight contest as they continued on through the fourth quarter, Malad coming within 7 points but unable to overcome the deficit.  As the game ended, the Dragons trailed 55-64.

Ruger Smith led Malad with 19 points, adding seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. Easton Green followed with 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Braun Nalder recorded a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Malad finished with 10 steals as a team, using defensive pressure to create opportunities, but struggled to generate enough offense during key stretches to close the gap late.

On Saturday at Declo, the Hornets took a quick lead, going up 6-0 in the first 90 seconds of the game.  Undeterred, the Dragons got on the scoreboard with a lay-in by Green, followed by a left corner shot by Ky Willie to bring the score 4-7.  Remaining competitive, Malad climbed their way to the top, Toone helping with two second chance shots and Green hitting a three pointer from the deep corner to put them up 11-10.

The Dragons held on to the small lead as the opening quarter ended, up 14-13 to start the second quarter.  But the two teams would trade the lead back and forth multiple times throughout the remaining minutes of the second quarter, Declo ending the half on top.

Declo continued to widen the gap on the scoreboard, winning both the third and fourth quarters to put them up 71-58 to end the game.  Green and Ruger Smith paced the Dragons with 14 and 15 points respectively, while Nalder added 12 points and seven rebounds. Toone provided a strong defensive presence with seven rebounds and three blocks.

Malad finished with just six assists as Declo’s defense disrupted ball movement and forced more individual scoring attempts.  Across both games, Malad showed consistent effort on the defensive end, recording a combined 17 steals and five blocks.

Following the games, Head Coach Beutler commented, “We are pleased with the boys. They are competing every night. If we can get healthy we will be better for it down the stretch.”

Solidly in their conference game schedule, the Dragons are next set to play the Wendell Trojans and Aberdeen Tigers at home, playing Thursday, January 29 and Saturday January 31.