At the Irish home court, the Maple Lake girls basketball team took on the Milaca Wolves in an intense game Tuesday, Dec. 3. Being the season opener game, the Irish were ready to get on the court and finally start the season.
“We went out determined, ready to play, and ready have some fun,” senior Jessie Wohlrabe said.
Battling back and forth, trying to secure the win, the Wolves came out on top by three points.
Starting off the varsity game, the Wolves won the jump ball by a hair, but Rayne Coughlin quickly stole it.
Scoring first was Maple Lake. Keeping their lead, the Irish hustled up and down the court, making their outside jump shots. Leading the Irish in scoring for the night was Coughlin with 17 points. Working as a team, the girls made smart passes and attacked the basket to stay in the game. With minutes left in the first half, the Irish kept on the pressure, leading 27-23 at the break.
Forcing turnovers, the Irish tried for many attempts at the basket, but unfortunately their shots were not falling. Working on defense, the girls managed to cover the lane well, but couldn’t shake the Wolves shot streak. Going on a 10-point run, the Wolves quickly caught up, making for an intense game.
Maple Lake forced 15 turnovers on just nine steals, but struggled to sink their shots in the second half. Shooting nearly 30 percent on both sides, the Irish and the Wolves kept up with each other on the floor.
Rayne Coughlin, Emily Webb and Mollie Graham led the team in rebounding with five each and leading the team in assists was Kayla Hoistad, making four solid passes to her teammates throughout the night.
“Playing a young Irish squad this year, we battled and played hard all night. We will work hard to get better shots and improve shooting percentage,” coach Adam Ronnenberg said. “I am proud of our rebounding and defensive effort.”
More information and stats appear in this week's Messenger.
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