By Noah Dalton
MITCHELL – Mitchell High School took the floor at The Hive on Thursday night to play their first of four consecutive home games to close their regular season, taking on Eastern Greene.
The Thunderbirds emerged from the battle victorious 53-32, jumping out to an early lead thanks to a strong first quarter and holding it for the entirety of the game.
Eastern Greene outscored the Bluejackets 18-8 in the first period, shooting 6/11, including knocking down four three-pointers. Bianca Wyatt was the catalyst for the Thunderbirds’ initial surge, scoring nine points in the first, all via a perfect 3/3 outing from deep in the quarter.
Though Mitchell were able to keep things closer in the next two quarters, nearly matching Eastern Greene by scoring 19 points to their 22, that gap in the first quarter, as well as a slow offensive fourth quarter had sealed their fate.
Bluejackets’ head coach Dakota Brasher praised his team’s effort on the night, noting the team’s recent schedule, as well as some early defensive errors that he felt led to the end result.
“Effort was top-notch. Effort has been where it has been for the second half of the season, so I’m proud of the girls on that front. I told him that I think some of it was just tired legs. We played a really tough team on Tuesday and right now we’re not prepared well enough to play games on a close turnaround. Ultimately, that falls on me,” he said.
“So, we battled, and that game was closer than what the final scoreboard says. But yeah, I think we had tired legs, which isn’t an excuse. But, man, you’re one step, you’re one step slower, you’re one step late on getting out on some of those threes they hit early in the game, ultimately, that’s what cost us. Just seemed like we were one step slow tonight.”
Thunderbirds’ forward Kaylee Hudson led all scorers on the night with 19 points, shooting 6/11 from the floor and adding six rebounds. Wyatt and Mallorie Elliot were both also in double figures for Eastern Greene, scoring 15 and 13 respectively.
“Credit to [Hudson]. She’s a really tough player. You can tell she has really worked on her game for a long time,” Brasher said of Hudson’s performance.
For Mitchell, senior Jillian Bond led the way, scoring 13 points and adding 11 rebounds for a double-double. She was aided by Paisley Modglin, who scored seven.
Bond and Briley Dicks are the team’s lone seniors this season. With just three games remaining on the schedule, all of which will be played on their home floor, Brasher hopes to send them out on a high note, as they close their final regular season with the school.
“We have a really good group of senior girls. We’ve got two unbelievable seniors. So, the message these last couple of games is to send these girls out on a high note. And that means everybody is connected and great teammates and we’re all battling for the same things and we’re all battling for each other. So, maintaining that and maintaining that focus is our big push for those,” Brasher said discussing their final upcoming regular season games.
Now 1-19 on the year, Mitchell’s next game will be on Tuesday, Jan. 16, when they’ll host Patoka Lake Athletic Conference opponent Paoli (7-11).
Stats
Mitchell
- Jillian Bond: 13 points, 4/10 shooting, 5/9 FT, 11 rebounds
- Briley Dicks: 2 points, 1/3 shooting, 0/0 FT, 2 rebounds
- Leighann Thompson: 4 points, 1/3 shooting, 2/2 FT, 3 rebounds
- Anna Sowders: 0 points, 0/6 shooting, 0/0 FT, 3 rebounds
- Paisley Modglin: 7 points, 3/6 shooting, 0/0 FT, 2 rebounds
- Ella Gerkin: 3 points, 1/1 shooting, 0/0 FT, 0 rebounds
- Jorja Lamm: 3 points, 1/2 shooting, 0/2 FT, 0 rebounds
- Davaney Roop: 0 points, 0/1 shooting, 0/0 FT, 1 rebound
Eastern Greene
- Bianca Wyatt: 15 points, 5/12 shooting, 1/1 FT, 4 rebounds
- Melanie Wyatt: 3 points, 1/4 shooting, 1/4 FT, 3 rebounds
- Clara Hawk: 0 points, 0/3 shooting, 0/0 FT, 0 rebounds
- Chyann Padgett: 0 points, 0/4 shooting, 0/0 FT, 1 rebound
- Kaylee Hudson: 19 points, 6/11 shooting, 6/8 FT, 6 rebounds
- Mallorie Elliott: 13 points, 6/14 shooting, 1/2 FT, 6 rebounds
- Shelby Ferkingstad: 3 points, 1/3 shooting, 0/0 FT, 0 rebounds
