The MHS girls’ basketball team dropped their opening game of the Janesville Craig Tournament Friday 55-47 to Oregon, then bounced back the next day for a convincing 57-33 win over Homestead.
On Friday, the Bluejays were slow getting out of the blocks, and Oregon was able to capitalize on that, running out to a 17-9 lead after the first quarter. That first half was a hole the team couldn’t climb out of, said head coach Melissa Yuska.
“They are a nice team with a tall front line, and we thought we would match up with them pretty well,” Yuska said. “That first quarter did us in. “
The Bluejays managed to go head to head with Oregon in the second quarter, with each team netting eight points to see the Bluejays trail 25-17 at the half. With some adjustments at the half, the Bluejays trailed 39-30 after three quarters and outscored their opponents 17-16 in the final period.
Yuska said that going shot for shot against Oregon trying to close the gap from the first quarter made things even harder.
“They just made some clutch shots down the stretch and we didn’t,” Yuska said. “We got within five in the third, but we just couldn’t get over that hump to get closer.”
Yuska said despite the loss, the team showed a lot of poise and composure, not allowing themselves to get too rattled.
“We never stopped until the end,” she said. “The girls really played their hearts out against a great team.”
Yuska singled out Morgan Marnholtz for her great effort at point guard.
“She had a defender glued to her the whole time she was in and she did a fantastic job despite that in getting the ball up court and setting up our offense.”
Yuska said the girls were able to take the positives away from the game and built on them the next night.
Renee Sladek had 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and three blocks to lead the Bluejays. Dawn Leland had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks. Rounding out the scoring for the Bluejays were Mariah Turenne with nine points, two boards and two steals, Anna Finnel with six points, and Reegan Byer with two points.
On Saturday against Homestead, Merrill took control of the game early and never looked back. They led 14-11 after the first quarter and 32-17 at the half.
“I thought we came out much more aggressively on both ends of the court,” Yuska said. “We were able to transition well and got after the boards more.”
The Bluejays outscored their opponents 16-9 to lead 48-20 after three periods and 9-7 in the final quarter.
Yuska liked how her two senior playmakers Leland and Sladek were able to find new wrinkles in their games to adjust to what Homestead was doing defensively. While Leland wasn’t afraid to drive to the basket, once the defense shut that down, she managed to fake the defense out with pull up jumpers. Sladek was able to find open teammates and was a force on rebounds.
Sladek led the Bluejays in scoring with 18 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block. Leland had 16 points, 1 rebound, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Emily Page added seven points, three assists and rebounds, Turenne had six points, two rebounds and one assist and steal. Finnell had four points, one rebound and a steal, Lauren Hojan had two points and Hannah Marrier and Morgan Wilde each had a point.