Kelli Miller
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Taylor Larson and 8 rebounds. Kate Blankenship was the only other Rebel in double figures with 10 points. The Patriots were led by Brynn Bakken with 15 points, Olivia Deelstra scored 14, and Abbie Harris finished with 10. The Rebels will play Thursday night against the RRC Falcons in Slayton in the opening round of the playoffs.
HBC 55 - MCC 48
The MCC Rebel Girls played their final game of the regular season on Monday night against the Red Rock Conference Champion Hills Beaver Creek Patriots. The Rebels would play one of their best games of the season on Monday night. The Rebels led all but about three minutes of the game, but when it was all said and done, the Rebels didn’t lead at the right time as the Patriots got the win. The Patriots turned the ball over 14 times in the first half which allowed the Rebels to score some easy baskets. Most importantly, it got the Patriots offense out of sorts. HBC did a great job on the offensive glass, rebounding their own missed shots, which allowed them to score. Olivia Deelstra scored 12 first half points to lead her team. The Rebels were led by Ava Deacon who scored 13 points. Taylor Larson added five, while Thea Schneider, Kate Blankenship, and Calleigh Doeden scored four points each. The Rebels led at the half 30 to 23.
The Rebels and Patriots struggled to open the second half, as the two teams scored just two points over the first four minutes of the half. The Patriots cut the Rebel lead down to a single possession just to see the Rebels answer back. Kate Blankenship hit a big three and then scored a traditional three point play to keep the Rebels on top by seven points. The Rebels missed some key free throws that could have pushed their lead to double digits. With under four minutes to play, Hadley Spath hit a three point shot. MCC failed to score and Ella Sammon hit her first three point shot of the game. Brynn Bakken finished a three point play and Sammons hit a second three point shot. The Rebels went from up six to down six in about two minutes. Ava Deacon made a three point shot to get the Rebels within three points. The Patriots made free throws down the stretch to win 55 to 48.
The Patriots dominated the rebounding numbers and they out shot the Rebels 32% to 29%. In the end, the Patriots simply hit the big shots over the final three minutes and that was enough to overcome the Rebels upset bid. Ava Deacon led the Rebels with 19 points
