Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Lady Wildcats barely nudged out of wins by Hay Springs and Kimball JV, come back with win against Crawford

Returning from the holiday break, the Banner County Lady Wildcats were barely bested by the Hay Springs club, 46-45, in a non-conference game played on the road on Friday, Jan. 5.

The Lady Cats were up in the first quarter 9-6, but their opponents were able to tie the score by the end of the second quarter, earning 19 points while keeping the Banner County girls to 16 for a tie at 25 to end the first half.

Coming back from the half-time break, the Banner County ladies put 15 up on the board and held the Lady Hawks to just 13, but the game was far from over and in the final quarter of play the Hay Springs girls scored eight and held the Lady Cats to just five for the win.

MaKenna Dahlgrin earned nearly half of the total points, with 21 to her credit against Hay Springs, including one

trey. Dahlgrin made eight of 19 two-point attempts and landed two of four from the line.

She grabbed six steals and snatched 14 rebounds, eleven defensive and three offensive, earning her another double double.

Teammate Courtney Knisley added eight to the board, shooting 2/9 from the field and making four of six attempts from the line. She followed Dahlgrin with 13 rebounds, eight offensive and five defensive with eight assists, two steals and just four turnovers.

Junior Jadyn Cross also earned eight points against the Lady Hawks, landing three of 12 field goals, including a

trey and shooting 2/6 free throws. Cross nabbed five rebounds, offered two assists and grabbed two steals.

Rylie Mason got in on the scoring with four, Emily Singleton and Cheyanne Knisley each added two to the Banner

County board.

Following the away game, the Lady Cats took on the Kimball junior varsity squad at home on Monday, Jan. 8,

and for another close, non-conference loss, 66-64.

The home team came out to play and earned 20 points in the first quarter while keeping the Lady Horns to 12, but their opponents found their stride in the second quarter and tied scoring at 18 for a score of 38-30, with Banner County in the lead, at the end of the first half.

Coming back from the half-time break the Kimball club dominated the court and earned 21 points to Banner

County’s 11 and in the final quarter of play the two teams tied scoring at 15, leaving the Lady Cats shy just three points for the win.

Thursday, Jan. 11 gave the Lady Cats the chance to make-up for the back-to-back losses with a home game against the Crawford Lady Rams and the game ended with a run by the Banner County ladies to secure the win, 52-44.

Banner County took an early lead, 12-9, in the first quarter but, according to coach Chad Miller, both offenses

slowed down with the Lady Cats scoring just seven but keeping their opponents to three, ending the first half 19-12 in Banner County’s favor.

Coming back from the half-time break the Lady Rams moved the ball well and outscored the Banner County club 18-11, deadlocking the game moving into the final quarter.

The final quarter saw a burst of scoring from the Lady Cats, with 22 on the board, 15 from Dahlgrin, and Crawford was kept to 14 giving the Banner County ladies the 52-44 victory.

“MaKenna Dahlgrin had a great night on the boards and went on to lead all scorers, getting 24 of her 31 points

in the second half,” Miller said.

Dahlgrin landed 12 two-pointers and shot seven of 16 from the line for a season high total of 31 in one game.

To date, this season, Dahlgrin has netted 62 field goals, inching closer to three digits with each game and she is

already in the three digits on rebounds with 132 for the season.

Others contributing for the Lady Cats win against Crawford were Cross with 7, Courtney Knisley with 6, Singleton with 4 and Mason with 4.

Dahlgrin led to in rebounds with 19, also a season high, while Cross, Singleton and Courtney Knisley added

eight each. Cheyanne Knisley grabbed three and Mason one.

The win boosted the Lady Cats’ season record to 3-8.

The Banner ladies traveled to Bayard for the MAC tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 16. No information was available at press time.

Next up for the Lady Cats is an away game at Guernsey-Sunrise High School in Guernsey, Wyo., on Tuesday,

Jan. 23. The Lady Vikings, under coach Daphne Vaughn, are 1-6 on the season at press time.