LADY REBELS COMPETE AT WABASSO TOURNAMENT

The MCC Rebel Girls participated in the Wabasso Holiday Tournament this past weekend. The Rebels would open the tournament Friday at 4:00 pm against a team they have never played before. The Rebels took on the Thunderbirds of Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop. The Thunderbirds were coming off a win in their last game and were looking to build a winning streak, while the Rebels were trying to bounce back from their loss to Edgerton on Tuesday night. Three minutes and 15 feet would go a long way in deciding this game.

The Rebels got off to a strong start early in the first half getting out to an early lead. The Rebels were attacking the paint and finding some openings, if not with the inside shot, with the pass to an outside shooter. Jayda Hellewell would get the Rebels started by getting into the lane and that opened up a couple of three-point shots. Taylor Larson and Kelli Miller each connected from the threepoint line and the Rebels had the lead very early on. The Rebels, unfortunately, struggled with turnovers. MCC gave the ball up 17 times in the first half which led to more shots from the Thunderbirds and some easy breakaway layups. Trinity Stearns would have a great first half scoring 12 points for GFW. The Thunderbirds would lead at the half 26 to 19.

The second half started with the Rebels making a run led by Jayda Hellewell and Abby Overman. The Rebels got within 5 points and that would become the hill that could not be climbed. The Rebels again, would turn the ball over too much, allowing long scoreless streaks during which the Thunderbirds pulled away. Jenna Schweiss scored 11 second-half points for GFW who would take a 12-point lead. With a few minutes left in the game, the Rebels got back within six points but that is when the Thunderbirds went to the free throw line and they were clutch. Marti Jacobson scored 8 second-half points, 6 coming at the free throw line in the last two minutes. At one point GFW made 10 free throws in a row as the Rebels would lose 54 to 44.

Neither team shot all that well from the field. While MCC shot just 29% and the Thunderbirds 33%. MCC turned the ball over 5 more times than the Thunderbirds. What hurt the Rebels was GFW made 16 of 22 free throws and MCC made just 8 of 16. MCC was outrebounded in the game 35 to 26. For the Rebels, only Jayda Hellewell scored in double figures with 14 points. Abby Overman and Kelli Miller scored 8 each. GFW had three players in double figures with Stearns’ 16 points leading the team, Scweiss finishing with 15, and Mart Jacobson adding 14. The loss would move the Rebels back to 500 on the season at 2 wins and 2 losses.

Saturday the Rebels took on the Wabasso Rabbits. Both teams had lost on Friday night with MCC falling to GFW by 20 and the Rabbits losing to WWG 68 to 21. The Rebels played a difficult game, where some things looked really good but in the end, the inability to score would cost them greatly. The Rabbits picked up a muchneeded win for their team while the Rebels would wrap up the week in disappointing fashion.

The Rebels and the Rabbits have struggled on offense at times this season. The Rabbits played two games last week and failed to score 30 points in either game while the Rebels scored in the 30’s but lost both games by more than 20 points. The Rabbits scored more points in the first half against the Rebels than in each of their first two games of the week. The Rabbits’ Avery and Sara Carlson would lead the Rabbits to the in the first half. Avery Carlson scored 12 points in the first half, most coming on steals in the Rabbit zone defense and she would finish the fast break with two points. When she slowed down, Sara Carlson would get hot, scoring 8 straight points and finishing the half with 10. MCC would knock down five first-half threepoint shots but the Rebels were not getting much movement in their offense against the zone. The Rebels trailed at the half 35 to 24.

In the second half, the Rebels got off to a nice start, as they would get the deficit to single digits and the Rebels seemed to have all the momentum, but playing good defense only lasts so long, if you struggle to score points. MCC scored just 15 points in the second half. The Rebels had open shots from the three-point line and they had some good shots in the paint, but they could not convert on enough of them to threaten the Rabbits over the final nine minutes of the game. The Rabbits didn’t have a huge second half but they did finish with 24 points and they would pull away for the 59 to 39 win over the Rebels.

The Rebels forced 18 turnovers in the game and only gave the ball away 15 times which was a season low. The Rebels made 7 of 11 free throws which was a season’s best percentage from the free throw line. The problem is the Rebels made just 20% of their shots from the field compared to the Rabbit’s 42%. The Rebels’ leading scorer was Jayda Hellewell with 8 points and Abby Overman and Taylor Larson each scored 7. The Rabbit’s leading scorers Avery and Sara Carlson scored 16 points each. Rabbits backups

Elizabeth Morin who only played in the second half and Audrey Johnson who played in both halves each scored 6 points. The Rabbit backups and reserves scored as much as the Rebel’s top scorers and you can’t win games when that happens, unless everyone is scoring and that is not the case for the Rebels. MCC will play Pipestone and RTR coming up this week in hopes of getting back on the winning track.