It’s true that “close” only counts in horseshoes, dancing and hand grenades.   A close game in basketball doesn’t change the final result, but it sure can say something about a team, especially when they play up against an opponent ranked as one of the best in the state.

The Dragon basketball team had a tough lineup for their weeks’ games, including the #1 3A team, the Declo Hornets, and the #4 team, the Firth Cougars, as well as the very tough Grace Grizzlies.  Across all three games, Malad fought for the win down to the wire, having a chance to take the win against these challenging opponents.

Unfortunately, the Dragons came up short in each of their contests, but the “close” loss gives hope for a different outcome when they cross paths against.

Malad first hosted the Grace Grizzlies on Tuesday, January 7.  The two teams played neck and neck over the first half, ending the second quarter tied at 17 points.  Grace came out of the half ready to take over, scoring 19 points to Malad’s 10.  Despite being down going into the final quarter, the Dragons rallied, giving themselves a chance in the final quarter.

After coming onto the floor in the fourth quarter, Carter Carey started off the scoring with a short shot off the inbound play made possible with the block seal by Justin Toone.  Toone brought the score with in 6 points as laid in the ball off of a cross over move despite the defenders surrounding him.  

Malad’s hustle and keen timing resulted in a number of what looked like easy baskets.  Cutting down the lane or in from the corner resulted in uncontested layups by Easton Green, threaded carefully through the defenders by Zack Richardson.

With just under a minute left to play, the Dragons still trailed by 6 points.  Juggling the ball under the hoop with Grace defenders coming in, Brady Showell bounced the ball along the baseline to Green in the opposite corner.  Jumping into the pass, Easton went up for the 3 pointer to bring the score 45-48.

Now in the bonus and not wanting to send the Grizzlies to the free throw line, the Dragons turned up their defense in hopes of forcing a turnover all the while not allowing a shot.  With 13.2 seconds, Malad tied up the ball, changing possession in their favor.  

Quickly getting the ball across half court, Carey found an opening for a 3 point shot in hopes of tying up the game.  The ball bounced off the rim with Green picking up the rebound.  He sent the ball back out to Carey for a second chance but the final buzzer rang out before he could get it off.

The close game against the Grizzlies was a good warm up for their matchup with the Firth Cougars, currently ranked as the #4 3A team.  The Cougars may have jumped to the lead in the opening quarter 6-13, but it was the Dragons that won the second quarter to bring the halftime score up to 21-24.  Firth had another big quarter as they came out in the second half extending their lead 34-42.  

To close the gap in the fourth quarter, Malad put up 20 points to bring them within 4 points with only 18 seconds left.  The game at the free throw line put the Cougars up another 3 points to end the game, 54-60.

The MHS team had only a short break, having one day off to prepare to play the Declo Hornets, the #1 3A team in the state.  The Saturday night matchup was a contest from the beginning, the Dragons giving as good as they got.  Throughout the first quarter, Malad led as they aggressively attacked the basket, going into the second quarter 13-11.

The Hornets took control of the game playing through the second and third quarters, despite the challenging Dragon defense.  Down 29-41, the MHS team wasn’t willing to give up until the game was over.  

Their efforts seemed in vain as the clock continued to wind down, until the final minute of the game.  Richardson began dribbling into Malad territory, finding Carey open at the top of the arc.  Catching the ball as the defense arrived, Carey went up for the deep three, dropping it through the net with ease.  On their next possession, Carey attempted the same shot but was instead fouled.  At the free throw line, Carey hit all three shots to make the score 48-53.

The Hornets hit a free throw of their own, but the Dragons responded with another three point shot scored off a sideline inbound play to put them within three points with 12 seconds left in the game.  With one final possession, the MHS was hoping for one final shot but it just wasn’t in the cards.  Instead, Declo was sent to the free throw line to put them up by another point, ending the game 51-55.

Head Coach Zach Beutler shared about their games, “The guys are trusting the process and competing well.  This last we went up against two of the best programs in the state.  We had our chances but unforced turnovers and allowing offensive rebounds were too much to overcome.”

Three losses might not have been what the Dragons were hoping for, but playing a close game where they could have taken down some of the top teams in the conference is no small feat.  The second matchup between Malad and any of these teams is sure to be a hot ticket.

Malad vs Grace

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

1 2 3 4 T

Malad  9 8 10 18 45

Grace  7 10 19 12 48

# ATHLETE PTS REB AST STL BLK

0 Carter Carey 17 3 1 1 0

1 Easton Green 7 5 1 3 0

3 Ruger Smith 0 1 1 2 0

22 Brady Showell 0 3 2 1 0

23 Brayzen Gibbs 9 1 1 2 0

24 Justin Toone 3 2 0 2 1

30 Zach Richardson 9 3 5 3 0

TEAM TOTALS 45 18 11 14 1

Malad vs Firth

Thursday, January 9, 2025

1 2 3 4 T

Malad  6 15 13 20 54

Firth  13 11 18 18 60

# ATHLETE PTS REB AST STL BLK

0 Carter Carey 14 1 0 1 0

1 Easton Green 7 7 2 1 0

3 Ruger Smith 0 1 1 0 0

22 Brady Showell 0 2 3 0 0

23 Brayzen Gibbs 11 3 1 1 0

24 Justin Toone 10 2 0 0 0

30 Zach Richardson 12 3 3 1 0

TEAM TOTALS 54 19 10 4 0

Malad vs Declo

Saturday, January 11, 2025

1 2 3 4 T

Declo  11 17 13 14 55

Malad  13 5 11 22 51

# ATHLETE PTS REB AST STL BLK

0 Carter Carey 22 3 4 0 0

1 Easton Green 3 4 2 4 0

3 Ruger Smith 2 2 1 1 0

12 Braun Nalder 4 0 0 0 0

22 Brady Showell 5 0 1 1 0

23 Brayzen Gibbs 3 1 1 0 0

24 Justin Toone 4 5 0 0 0

30 Zach Richardson 8 1 6 3 0

TEAM TOTALS 51 16 15 9 0