Mikayla Reith
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Ava Deacon -
Joelle Hellewell -
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Alt Text for Image
The Murray County Central Rebels, one year ago, ended a losing streak against the Southwest Minnesota Christian Eagles that was over a decade long. It would take the Rebels less than a year to get their second win against the Eagles and this one wasn’t close. The Rebels used great defense and one of their best shooting nights of the season to post a dominating win.
Friday night one will look at the score and at first glance will see the separation in score and think offense, but this game was won by defense. The Rebels dominated the Eagles by not allowing the Eagles to get many open shots and when they did get good looks, they were unable to finish. The Rebels jumped out to a 12 to nothing lead with Reese Gilbertson and Ava Deacon scoring four points each. The Rebels showed some good balance on offense, as everyone got into the act, putting the ball in the basket. But it was the Rebels’ defense that was the story. The Rebels led at the half 34 to 9. The Eagles had 20 turnovers at the half while making just 4 shots from the field.
The Rebels did not look back in the second half and though they didn’t have the best shooting night, they controlled the tempo. Also, despite playing short handed, the Rebels got nice performances by reserves, who helped keep the starters fresh. Erynn Rohrer, Mikayla Reith, and Danyel Nielson stepped onto the floor and helped the Rebels stay fresh. Reith would match her career high in scoring with 8 points. The Rebels cruised to a 54 to 18 win.
The Rebels shot 28% from the field in the game, but they limited the Eagles to 15%. The Rebels made 4 three’s in the game, while the Eagles made just one. The Eagles turned the ball over 32 times in the game to Rebels’ 18 times. The Eagles had 32 turnovers while making just 8 shots from the field and 1 free throw. Ava Deacon led the Rebels with 13 points while Calleigh Doeden scored 10. Reese Gilbertson scored 9, all in the first half while Kate Blankenship and Mikayla Reith scored 8 points each. Deacon and Gilbertson had 7 steals each. Jenna Feikema led the Eagles with 5 points. The Rebels will play their next game in 2026.
Kat Miller
