Girls pounded by Rangers in opener

For a few seconds, the opening game for the Custer High School girls basketball team was all positives.

Sam McNeel took the ball and drove to the basket for two, getting fouled in the process. After hitting the free throw, Custer was up 3-0 and appeared ready to tangle with the visiting Hill City Rangers. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they didn’t score again for 11 minutes, after Hill City had scored 29 points of their own.

The Rangers had their way in the paint, forced a bevy of Wildcat turnovers and dominated in every facet of the game on their way to a 74-19 pounding of the Wildcats last Thursday night at the armory.

“Iâ��was impressed that the girls never gave up. With 11 seconds left they were still on the floor diving at the basketball,”â��head coach Stephanie Ornelas said. “That’s an attitude you can’t coach.”

The Wildcats made only three baskets in the game, and committed 41 turnovers. Custer’s second basket came from Darian Turner with 4:05 left in the second quarter. The Wildcats were down 43-11 at halftime, and 56-14 at the end of the third quarter.

“You’re not going to win a game with 41 turnovers,”â��Ornelas said.â��“And we need to work on boxing out and our post defense. It’s not just certain individuals—everyone on the team needs to learn to guard the post.”

McNeel was the team’s leading scorer in the game with seven points. Hill City was led by Codee Sagdalen with 20 points. Eighth-grader Dru Gylten chipped in 17 points and Kala McDonald had 13.

The following night, the girls traveled to Newcastle, Wyo., where they were again on the wrong end of a lopsided score, losing 60-19.

“Rebounding hurt us in the Newcastle game,”â��Ornelas said.â��“They would get three or four shots. That was the difference in the game. We hung with them in the first quarter.”

The team had 33 turnovers in the game and was again led in scoring by McNeel, with six points.

Things don’t get any easier for the Wildcats this weekend, as the team will host Spearfish at 6 p.m. Friday. The Spartans are coming off a two-point loss to defending champion St. Thomas More.

“Our goal every game this year is to improve. We’re heading in the right direction,”â��Ornelas said.â��“Anyone can win on any given night. You never know. We’re going to improve on us and work on the things we need to work on.”

Custer 3 8 3 5 —19

HC 17 26 13 18 —74

Custer—Sam McNeel 2 3-4 7, Darian Turner 1 0-2 2, Nykyla Malinosky 0 2-4 2, Jasmine Cisneros 0 3-4 3, Billie Wicks 0 2-2 2, Ally Hass 1 0-0 3. Totals: 3 10-16 19.

Hill City—Kala McDonald 6 1-2 13, Dru Gylten 7 0-3 17, Breanna Lende-Hanson 2 0-0 4, Allie Henderson 0 2-2 2, Codee Sagdalen 10 0-2 20, Tia Grabow 1 0-2 2, Karly Dehn 1 0-1 2, Jenni Qualm 1 0-0 2, Brianne Clemetson 2 0-0 4, Dory Schrier 3 0-0 6. Totals: 34 3-12 74.

Three-point goals:�Custer 1 (Hass). HC�3 (Gylten 3). Total fouls:�Custer 14 HC 23. Fouled out:�Catlyn Cordell.

Custer 9 2 6 2 —19

New 18 18 2 2 —60

Custer—Sam McNeel 3 0-0 6, Channell Alcott 1 3-6 5, Darian Turner 2 1-3 5, Nykyla Malinosky 1 1-3 3. Totals: 7 5-12 19.

Newcastle, Wyo.—Paige Smith 5 2-2 13, Maddie Foster 4 0-3 8, Kianna Hobbs 1 2-2 4, Anna Henkle 2 4-4 8, Shenae LaCroix 2 1-2 6, Savannah Davis 1 0-4 2, Pat Miller 1 0-0 2, Hannah Cass 7 3-8 17, Baileyâ��Karp 0 0-0 0.

Three-point goals: New 1 (Smith). Total fouls:  Custer 19 New 16. Fouled out:â��none.