REBEL GIRLS END BUSY WEEK WITH TWO LOSSES ON THE ROAD

MCC VS. ADRIAN/ ELLSWORTH

The MCC Rebel Girls Basketball team was in the midst of a very busy week. The first full week after the holiday break the Rebels played 4 games in eight days. The Rebels beat the TMB Panthers a week ago then lost a two point game to HLOF on Monday. Thursday the Rebels were on the road to Ellsworth to play the Adrian Ellsworth Dragons. The Dragons have had an up and down season, but on Thursday they were looking at a bit of history. In a Red Rock Conference battle, the Dragons would edge out the Rebels The Rebels got off to a great start, taking the early lead as the Rebels opened the game with a Mikayla Reith deep three point basket. The three point shot would be the Rebels biggest weapon of the first half as they made 6 first half threes. Reese Gilbertson led the Rebels with nine first half points. The Dragons struggled early in the game, but history would be made in the first half when Shandra Cuperus made her fifth point of the game at the free throw line, scoring her 1,000th career point. Cuperus would score 19 first half points, while the rest of her teammates scored 9. The Rebels led at the half 30 to 28.

The second half was a back and forth game. After the Dragons scored six quick points, the Rebels answered back with seven. The Dragons defense played better in the second half while the Rebel turnovers increased and the three point shots didn’t fall as often. Reese Gilbertson continued her solid play in the second half, leading the Rebels with seven points. Kat Miller would add six. The Rebels only scored 24 second half points. Shandra Cuperus scored 13 second half points but in the fito nal 18 minutes she got help from Kamry Lehnhoff who scored 14 points in the second half, leading the Dragons to the win, 63 to 54.

The Rebels had 21 turnovers, with 13 coming in the second half and though the Rebels forced the Dragons into 19 in that time and 27 total, the Rebels lack of scoring cost them. The Rebels worked so hard to score but they didn’t score efficiently enough. The Rebels made a season high 8 three point shots, but the Rebels struggles inside the three point line continued. Reese Gilbertson scored 16 points to lead the team in scoring. Kat Miller finished with 12 points, six in each half. Cuperus scored 32 and Lehnhoff finished with 16. The Rebels would wrap up the week Saturday in Mountain Lake.

MCC VS. MLAC

The MCC Rebel Girls wrapped up their busy week in Mountain Lake against the Wolverines. MLAC is the second ranked team in the Red Rock Conference this season, led by Julia Brinkman, the senior guard who has been lighting up the scoreboard. The Rebels would match up well with the Wolverines and even had a size advantage, but the Wolverines showed off their shooting ability on Saturday as they handed the Rebels their third loss of the week.

The Rebels and the Wolverines went toe to toe in the first half, with the MLAC leading almost the entire half. Mikaya Schroeder, for the Wolverines, had an amazing first half. She scored 11 points to lead the team in scoring for the first 18 minutes. In fact, the Wolverines’ two eighth graders scored the first eight points of the game as Annabelle Hup scored four first half points. The Rebels would stick around with Kate Blankenship scoring 10 first half points and Ava Deacon adding nine. Brinkman took some time to get started. She scored ten points in the final six minutes of the half. The Wolverines led at halftime, 31 to 27.

The Rebels were having their best shooting game of the season but they were also struggling with turnovers, which has not hurt them very often this season. The second half would see MLAC pull ahead and it looked like they might blow the Rebels out. Brinkman scored 14 points in the second half and Ellamae Peters scored 12 points as the Wolverines pulled ahead by 16 points. The Rebels would close the gap late. Ava Deacon played a strong game and had a great second half, scoring 15 points. Reese Gilbertson scored 11 points for the Rebels. Seven of those came in the second half and Kat Millweights.

er scored 6 second half points. The Rebels, after trailing by 16, got within seven points with the ball, but they would not get any closer. The Wolverines got the win 67 to 59.

The Rebels shot a season high 37% from the field in this game. With the same shooting percentage in earlier games this season, The Rebels may have only lost one game all year. With the higher shooting percentage came a season high 26 turnovers. The Rebels were led by Ava Deacon who scored 24 points in the game, one off her season high. She also grabbed 5 steals. Reese Gilbertson finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds. Kate Blankenship scored 10. The Rebels will play at Lamberton on Tuesday against RRC and then back in Slayton against WWG later in the week.