The MCC Rebels were back at home on Tuesday when they played host to the Coyotes of Heron Lake Okabena Fulda. The Rebels were starting the second half of their schedule against the Coyotes who beat them by 15 points back in December. The Coyotes are a senior-dominated team who with a win would get back to 500 with a 9-9 record. The Rebels were hoping for their first conference win of the season. The Rebels would play a much more aggressive game on the defensive end but offensive struggles would cost them another game.
If one would have just watched the one end of the floor tonight you would think the Rebels and Coyotes would have switched jerseys. MCC who has struggled with turnovers all season handled the basketball as well as they have all season while the Coyotes struggled to maintain control of the ball. The Rebels only turned the ball over 7 times in the first half compared to the Coyotes 16. The problem is you need to show the ability to score points once you create turnovers and the Rebels did not do that well enough. In the first half the Rebels got off to a good start with an Abby Overman three-point basket to start the game and the Rebels were down just one 9-8 after nearly 10 minutes of game time. The Coyotes would go on a 9-0 run to pull ahead by 10. Taryn Evers and Chrissy Hermeling led the Coyotes in the first half. Evers scored 12 while Hermeling connected on 3 3’s for 9 points. The Rebels kept in the game with Emily Rohrer scoring 7 points and Abby Overman adding 5. The Rebels were down at the half 34-23.
The second half was a much lower scoring game for the Coyotes as both teams struggled to find their range. The Coyotes would extend their lead at one point to 20 points with Anna Fest and Evers leading the team with four points each. The duo scored 8 of the first ten points of the half but it was spread out over 8 minutes of the half. The Rebels defense kept the pressure on the Coyotes but MCC just could not score inside or outside. The Rebels would chip away at the lead but when it takes two or three trips down the floor to get a basket its tough to make a run. The Rebels with under three minutes to play were back within 10 points but the Coyotes would play some four corners offense and make their free throws to seal the win 54 to 41.
The Rebels were led in scoring by Emily Rohrer with 8 points while Abby Overman and Zoey Iverson each scored 7. The Coyotes were led by Taryn Evers who finished with 21 and Hermeling who dropped in 14. The Coyotes finished the game with 30 turnovers compared to the Rebels 16. MCC will play Friday in Adrian against the Dragons on Friday night.
