Raiders 'change the sauce' and beat Broncos
CURTIS, Neb. — A marvelous 33-point second half had to make that post-game spaghetti feed even tastier for Medicine Valley Thursday evening.
The Raiders shook off their first-half fluster of trailing 14-7 and turned it into a 40-33 victory over Waunta-Palisade.
Coach Derek Bantam praised his team’s first 40-point game this season — though the six Raiders were on a 66-point pace following that rough 14-7 first half.
“We started out and couldn’t hit anything. Everything was going in and out of the basket,” Bantam explained. “Our defense kept us in the game.”
Yet senior defender/rebounder Jasmine Tutlam-hazen fouled out during the third quarter.
Leading Raider scorer Acelyn Klein had already missed much of the first half with three fouls.
No problem.
“We did a great job of controlling our emotions, because we weren’t liking some of the bumps here and there in the first half,” Bantam said. “We had to do a little mental check at halftime.”
Klein returned and calmly delivered 13 points following the break.
Just as important was how freshman Kaylyn Roblee scored her season-best 11 points.
Sophomore Jessa Bailey (10 points) gave the Raiders an impressive double-digit trio.
Plus don’t forget how junior Sabra Schmidt handled some huge late-game free throws.
“Sabra’s been staying after practice to work on her free throws,” the coach revealed. “She gets a little upset if she misses three in a row, and I like that. It shows she cares. They all do.”
Schmidt made two great charity shots, and freshman Charlie Kahler helped close the win.
M.V. RAIDERS (40) — Acelyn Klein 13 points, Kaylyn Roblee 11, Jessa Bailey 10, Sabra Schmidt 5, Charlee Kahler 1. W.P. BRONCOS (33) — Maycee Wheeler 10 points, Destany Simpson 9, Haylee Sandman 8, Dakota Ingold 3, Monique Gooden 2, Michaela Dukes 1.