Second-Half Rally Propels Milbank to Basketball Win
MILBANK AREA JUNIOR Carter Hartman leaps past his defender to lay in the ball in Milbank’s thrilling 60-58 win over Florence-Henry. Hartman finished the game with eight points, two rebounds and one assist.
Second-Half Rally Propels Milbank
to Boys Basketball Win over Flyers
The Milbank Area boys varsity basketball team fell to Hamlin Friday, January 24, and earned a thrilling win over Florence-Henry on Saturday, January 25. The Bulldogs move to 4-5 overall.
Milbank Area 60,
Florence-Henry 58
A second-half scoring barrage led to a comeback for the Milbank Area Bulldogs boys varsity basketball team as they emerged victorious over Florence-Henry 60-58 Saturday, January 25, in Milbank.
“We got the job done against a very good team,” said Logan Diede, coach. “We had a lot of guys step up and give us big minutes and hit big shots over the weekend and we hope to continue that trend.”
The first quarter was back-and-forth with Will Cummins draining a three to keep Milbank close. Max McCulloch fought through defenders and got to the rim for two points to knot the game at 10 with 50 seconds left in the quarter, but the ‘Dawgs trailed 13-10 at quarter’s end.
Carter Hartman and Bennett Schwenn fired in shots to help Milbank keep pace with the Flyers in the second quarter for a 19-16 score with 4:50 left. Cummins’ three-pointer knotted the game at 19 with 3:35 left, and he drained another for a 22-20 lead. The lead did not stand and the Bulldogs were down 30-23 at the half.
Evan Erickson got into the lane for a layup to open the second half, and Hartman made a layup to knot the score at 30. The Flyers pulled away again but Cummins sank a three to pull the ‘Dawgs to within two, 37-35. He hit another three with 30 seconds left in the quarter for a 44-40 score with Florence-Henry out front.
The score was knotted at 44 in the early moments of the fourth quarter and a three by McCulloch powered the ‘Dawgs out front 47-44. McCulloch produced another three-point play with a shot and successful free throw for a 54-53 Bulldog advantage with 2:20 left in the game. The Flyers pushed to the front but Hartman dumped in a shot for a one-point Milbank lead, 58-57. McCulloch nailed two free throws with five seconds showing on the clock to secure the win.
McCulloch recorded a double-double of 25 points and 15 rebounds to pace the Bulldogs. Cummins was also in double figures with 19 points. He also tallied three assists. Hartman contributed eight points and two rebounds; Schwenn, six points and three rebounds, and Erickson, two points and one rebound.
Milbank connected on 21 of 48 (44 percent) attempts from the field and tallied 26 rebounds. Florence-Henry hit 22 of 44 (55 percent) attempts from the field and recorded 30 rebounds.
1 2 3 4 F
Florence-Henry: 13 17 14 14 58
Milbank Area: 10 13 17 20 60
Milbank Area 43, Hamlin 53
The Bulldogs dropped a 53-43 contest to Hamlin Friday, January 24, in Hayti.
“I’m very proud of the way our boys kept battling through the adversity they are faced with and keep their mindset on getting better,” said Diede. “We struggled against Hamlin to score the ball and we knew we could’ve done a better job.”
Hamlin was out front 12-10 after the opening quarter and Milbank trailed by one, 26-25, heading into the half-time break. Milbank faced a 36-30 deficit at the start of the final stanza.
Cummins fired in a game-high 29 points to lead the Bulldogs. McCulloch and Schwenn added six points each, and Hartman, two. McColloch tallied six rebounds, and Hartman, four. Cummins and Schwenn recorded two steals each and McCulloch had three blocks.
Milbank connected on 15 of 38 (39 percent) attempts from the field and tallied 22 rebounds.
Hamlin hit 19 of 47 (40 percent) attempts from the field and grabbed 29 rebounds.
1 2 3 4 F
Milbank Area: 10 15 5 13 43
Hamlin: 12 14 10 17 53
Upcoming Games
The Bulldogs faced off against Deuel in Clear Lake Tuesday, January 28, and host Ortonville, MN, Friday, January 31.
