It was a full, tough schedule for the Malad Dragons as they played their first games of the 2024-2025 season.  The young team landed a big win over Ririe before falling to Parma and New Plymouth.  Head Coach Zach Beutler shared, “Overall we are pleased with the way the guys are playing ball. They work for and with each other and we are excited for what we have in front of us.”

Starting their week of road games on Wednesday, December 4, the Dragons took on the Ririe Bulldogs.  Malad dominated the game from the tipoff, scoring 17 points while only giving up 2 in the first quarter.  Brayzen Gibbs hit Zack Richardson on the arc for a three pointer on their second possession of the game to get the scoring going.  Carter Carey followed on the next possession with a corner three off of a skip pass from Easton Green.

Ririe attempted a full court press but instead of creating chaos in the MHS offense, it provided a number of open shots.  In one instance, Carey received the inbound pass and found Gibbs cutting to the middle.  As Gibbs took three dribbles straight to the basket, Green made a baseline cut from the right corner, connecting with the pass right under the hoop for an easy lay-in.

The Bulldogs adjusted their defense, bringing a half court trap to stop the ball early.  The Dragons had no problem moving the ball around despite the pressure.  On the defense’s first attempt, Richardson found Brady Showell open at the elbow for the open two point shot.

While it might have seemed that the Malad offense was dominating the show, it was their stellar defense that continued to provide them the opportunities to do so.  Their lock down defense brought the pressure that made it near impossible for Ririe to execute on offense.  Coach Beutler said, “We saw just how good we can be on Wednesday when we played lock down man defense.”

Each of the starting five players managed stats across the board, demonstrating their strength of team basketball.  Carey had an exceptional game as he snagged 2 steals, had 4 assists, grabbing 1 rebound and landed 32 points.  Richardson added 5 steals, 7 assists, 9 rebounds, and 13 points.  

Hitting the road for back to back games against opponents in the 3A Western Idaho conference.  Friday, December 6 the Dragons played the Parma Panthers and once again came out big in the first quarter, leading 18-14. Parma began cutting that lead throughout the second quarter, eventually pulling ahead as the two teams went into the half 26-27.  

 Parma came back in a big way in the second half, putting 25 points through the third quarter.  Malad closed the gap in the fourth half, but couldn’t quite seal the deal, falling 64-52.

The following night, showcased the Dragon’s matchup against the New Plymouth Pilgrims.  It was another tight game for Malad with every possession playing a crucial part.  The two teams found themselves tied at 13 points in the opening quarter and then within 1 point at half as the Dragons led, 24-23.

The MHS team played very aggressively, landing themselves in foul trouble early and putting the Pilgrims at the line for bonus shots.  Malad continued to lead throughout the third quarter before New Plymouth hit a last second shot and free throw to tie the game again at 41.

The Pilgrims expanded their lead to 50-56 with just under a minute left on the clock.  Despite the short time, it was enough to give the Dragons a chance to swing things back in their favor.  Gibb put up a contested three pointer from the corner, rolling it off the rim.  Coming in for the rebound, Carey scooped up the ball for an easy lay in.

Fouling in hopes of a quick possession change, New Plymouth went to the line, hitting both free throws.  Getting the ball back on offense, Gibbs went for the outside shot again, sinking the three pointer to make it 55-58.  Getting fouled again, the Pilgrims missed their bonus shots and in turn, committed an intentional technical foul.  Shooting for Malad, Carey landed both shots, putting the Dragons within one point, 57-58.  Getting the ball back, the team went to execute their play only to slip in the back court and hit the ball out of bounds.  With the final possession of the game, New Plymouth banked in a final shot to close out the game 57-60.  

Commenting on the weekend games, Coach Beutler shared, “We showed our youth on both ends of the floor with lapses defensively and offensive breakdowns. Parma and New Plymouth were big and athletic. 

“In the Parma game, things were tight until the third quarter. They came out and punched us in the mouth and caught fire offensively. The boys stayed calm and even after getting down by over 20, were able to make a run and bring it back within seven before falling short.  They kept working and kept their composure.

“We got in foul trouble early in New Plymouth and that played a huge factor down the stretch. We finished that game with Zach Richardson fouled out and the other 4 starters with 4 fouls each. We were forced to run different rotations than we’d planned on but it was a good experience for the guys.

The Dragons will travel again to Ririe to compete in the men’s tournament playing the Firth Cougars in their opening game on Thursday at 4:25 pm.