REBEL WIN AGAINST WOLVERINES

The MCC Rebel Girls were on the road Tuesday night looking for a bit of redemption. The Rebels played very competitive basketball before Christmas, winning two games and playing close in a couple of others. That strong play hasn’t followed the Rebels into 2023, but on Tuesday the Rebels could avenge a missed opportunity. The Rebels played Mountain Lake Area Comfrey in Slayton earlier in the year. The Rebels led by 13 points with 13 minutes to go and were outscored 24 to 2 over the rest of the game. Tuesday night the Rebels were looking to flip the script on the Wolverines and they would and then some.

The Rebels had a first half that has been typical in the New Year. Too many turnovers and missed shots spread around a few good plays. In this case, the Rebels turned the ball over 14 times in the first half and only forced 5. The Rebels struggled to score, netting just 15 first-half points. What the Rebels did do well was defend and force the Wolverines into some tougher shots but the Wolverines led at the half 22 to 15. Seanna Swenson played even with Brooke Naas in the first half which helped the Rebels stay in the game.

The second half started great with two points to open the half but the Wolverines would go on a 9-to-nothing run after the Rebels’ first basket by Swenson. The Rebels would trail 31 to 17 with 13:42 to play. This should seem somewhat familiar as the Rebels had a 13 points lead with about the same amount of time left in the first game. The Rebels who were missing two key players with injuries got some key contributions from their bench. Kelli Miller scored 8 second-half points with a pair of 3’s and a basket on an inbound play. Thea Schneider scored on a basket inside and Ava Deacon made a free throw. The Rebels chipped away at the lead getting within three points before the Wolverines pulled back in front by five points. The Rebels wouldn’t stop. Casey Miller and Zoey Iverson made huge threepoint shots down the stretch with Miller’s 3 giving the Rebels the lead. MCC would slam the door shut with key free throws from Mary Lou McNab and then Casey Miller. The Rebels would win 46 to 21.

MCC got their third win of the season, passing last year’s win total. The Rebels only had six free throws in the game and they were all in the second half. MLAC made 5 free throws in the second half but missed many more that could have extended their lead at times in the second half. Brooke Naas finished with 15 points while Jaci Tollefson added 9. For the Rebels, Seanna Swenson scored 12 and had 13 rebounds. Casey Miller scored 11 points and had 5 assists in the game. Kelli Miller finished with 8 points and Zoey Iverson added 7 in the win. The Rebels will host WWG on Friday night.