Scottie Boys and Girls Fall to Wildcats, Spartans

The only thing the Lady Scotties basketball team ran out of at their Feb. 6 game against the Harlem Wildcats was time. They certainly did not run out of motivation as they fought with all their might to the last second to score every basket possible against Harlem. In the end though the only thing they needed was a longer quarter. In the first three quarters the Scotties fell behind by nearly 30 points but battled back to close the gap in the fourth quarter and bring it down to a single-digit game in the end.

In that fourth quarter run, the Scotties managed a 25-point effort-outscoring either team in any other quarter-which coupled with a strong defense, held the Wildcats to an eight-point quarter. With those efforts, the team was on track for a late-game comeback and the strong fourth-quarter showing allowed the Lady Scotties to finish with their heads held high as they ended the game 43 to Harlem's 52 after finishing the third quarter down 18 to 44.

Lady Scottie head coach Travis Nielsen commented on the game Friday morning saying, "Harlem did a nice job for the first three-fourths of the game. In the fourth quarter we came back [but] just ran out of time. Our turnovers were higher than average last night and their fast-break points are what hurt us. I felt our defense was strong. We're just gonna have to try to figure a few things out on how to get back faster."

At first, it seemed the Lady Scotties would never recover. The first quarter saw the team scoring only six points compared to Harlem's 11, but it was the second quarter that seemed to nail the coffin shut as the Scotties put a mere four points on the board and barely broke double digits heading into the half. The Wildcats on the other hand put up 14 total points in the second quarter and finished the half with 25 points.

The third quarter would be only marginally better as Glasgow managed to find the basket four times for eight points against Harlem's 19 points. Prior to the fourth quarter, the Scotties shot only two free-throws and made neither. They also scored zero points from outside the three-point line compared to Harlem's 15 total perimeter points and one free throw made.

The fourth quarter resurgence seemed to reverse the script as Abrianna Nielsen scored nine points from the perimeter with three, three-point baskets. Tyann Graham would find her rhythm as well, scoring twice from the perimeter and drawing a three-point foul, of which she would make two from the line. She later scored two more free-throws that quarter to finish four for five from the foul-line. Add on a two-point basket and Graham led the Scotties in points with 12 total-all of which were scored in the fourth quarter. Nielsen's three three-pointers in the fourth adding to a single basket in the first quarter gave her the number two spot for points with 11 total.

Coach Nielsen commented on the game's finale saying, "With a little different pace of the game I knew we could do it. [It] just took us way too long to find it with no time to keep going with that pace."

Blaire Westby and Laura Ross each put up six for the Scotties, Anika Peters scored four and Keely Fossum and Daley Aune each banked two points towards the team's total.

On Feb. 8 the Lady Scottie met the Scobey Spartans on their home court. The final score was 61-33 in the Spartans favor.

Coach Nielsen commented that the team, "did not play at all to our potential we know that as a team the girls know it as players we will hopefully bring it back this coming week with our conference games. The girls mood were great in practice and looking forward to this week's games."

The Lady Scotties play again for Senior Night on Feb. 13 against Wolf Point in the Scottie Gymnasium before heading to Malta for Valentine's Day on Feb. 14. Next week, from Feb. 20 through 22, the Lady Scotties will travel to Malta to participate in in the District tournament.