17 consecutive wins.  14 consecutive wins at home extending back to the previous season.  That is the impressive record for the Malad Lady Dragons after adding three more wins over the last week. Since losing their season opener, the Lady Dragons have refused to let up against any opponent.  

In their ensuing games since that first game, the MHS team has averaged a game ending lead of 28 points, the least being 6 against Bear Lake when they won out their second match, the most being 51 in their December defeat against Aberdeen.  

Throughout their 18 games this season, the Lady Dragons have faced a myriad of defenses and offenses and through it all, have adapted in a way that not only has left them ahead at the final buzzer, but declared the winner in an unmistakable way.  That doesn’t mean that any game was easy or didn’t require effort from the Malad team.  On the contrary, each win awarded to the Lady Dragons has been earned because they wouldn’t let up, wouldn’t quit, and wouldn’t play anything but their best.

The various teams have brought with them different defenses- man to man, assorted zones, full court presses, trapping defenses and the like.  Regardless of what has been thrown at them, Malad has found a way to exploit the defensive weaknesses and connect with
the basket. 

Some games, tallying up the points might come easy, much like their recent game against the Aberdeen Tigers as they hosted Friday, January 17.  Ending the game 74-38, it almost seemed as if they couldn’t miss and every possession would lend to a scoring opportunity.  In the first quarter alone, the Lady Dragons put up 31, the highest scoring quarter this season.  As a team, the MHS team put up 66 shots from the field, scoring on 45% of them compared to the Tigers that only connected with 29% of their 41 shots.  Izzy Haycock and Brynnlee Jones both added 22 points to the total, each hitting 5 shots from behind the arc.  Mikell Keetch followed with 10, with Liv Nelson and Paityn Ward adding 6 points each.

Other games, shots just don’t fall the same and Lady Dragons shift their game from outside to inside to put points on the scoreboard.  Against the Wendell Trojans in their Saturday night game, Malad shot just over 80% of their shots inside the arc.  The Trojans played a high pressure man to man defense that made the Lady Dragons patiently work and wait for the right opening.  

To keep their offense flowing and reduce turnovers, they had to play with high level ball handling and passing.  It was evident that their ball movement played a crucial part in their win against Wendell as Malad totalled 15 assists on their 21 scoring baskets.  It was a four way tie to lead in assists for the Lady Dragons as Kiley Miller, Haycock, Keetch, and Nelson each had three assists on their way to 52-24 win. 

Regardless of how things are flowing on the offensive end of the court, Malad is always bringing a clamp down defense to disrupt and deny any opponents scoring attempts.  Playing in Firth on Tuesday, January 14, the Lady Dragons were slower getting points on the scoreboard than their usual fast paced.  While this might have seemed troubling, the team was largely unconcerned because their defense continued to hold back the Cougar’s play from ever pulling ahead.  

When they weren’t pressuring with their man to man defense, Malad played a tough trapping defense that forced a number of errors for Firth, keeping them from settling into their offense.  In their previous matchup at the Ririe tournament, the Cougars hit 11 three points shots.  In this second matchup, Firth only hit 5 made mostly by their unsuspecting forward.  Malad’s defense once again helped secure the win, holding the Cougars to 35 points while they posted 59.

The Lady Dragons certainly aren’t flawless, but their record is nearly so.  Their ability to adjust, play with hustle, and bring an aggressive defense for four quarters of the game has made them a tough team to beat this season.  With only three games left to their regular season, the future is looking bright for the Lady Dragons.

 Malad will play away Thursday, January 23 in West Side before traveling to Declo, January 25 for their final away games of the season.

Malad @ Firth

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

1 2 3 4 T

Firth  11 6 14 4 35

Malad  14 16 15 14 59

# Athlete PTS REB AST STL BLK

2 Kiley Miller 6 0 5 2 0

4 Teagan Daniels 3 0 1 1 0

5 Brynnlee Jones 11 5 0 1 1

10 Izzy Haycock 11 9 5 1 0

11 Mikell Keetch 12 5 6 0 0

12 Paityn Ward 0 3 0 0 0

14 Mady VanBebber 4 2 1 3 1

24 Liv Nelson 12 7 4 1 2

Team Total 59 31 22 9 4

Malad vs Aberdeen

Friday, January 17, 2025

1 2 3 4 T

Malad  31 15 24 4 74

Aberdeen  9 6 15 8 38

# Athlete PTS REB AST STL BLK

2 Kiley Miller 3 5 5 3 0

3 Brinley Clark 0 1 0 0 0

4 Teagan Daniels 3 1 1 0 0

5 Brynnlee Jones 22 8 1 5 1

10 Izzy Haycock 22 5 5 2 0

11 Mikell Keetch 10 4 5 2 0

12 Paityn Ward 6 7 1 2 0

14 Mady VanBebber 2 3 0 0 1

15 Braylin Beutler 0 1 0 0 0

24 Liv Nelson 6 5 1 0 2

Team Totals 74 41 19 14 4

Malad vs Wendell 

Saturday, January 18, 2025

1 2 3 4 T

Malad  12 20 14 6 52

Wendell  5 10 6 3 24

# Athlete PTS REB AST STL BLK

2 Kiley Miller 8 4 4 4 0

3 Brinley Clark 0 2 0 0 0

4 Teagan Daniels 0 1 0 0 0

5 Brynnlee Jones 14 4 1 1 1

10 Izzy Haycock 2 1 3 2 1

11 Mikell Keetch 7 3 2 1 0

12 Paityn Ward 2 1 1 1 0

14 Mady VanBebber 6 5 1 0 0

21 Kendra Rupp 1 0 0 0 0

24 Liv Nelson 12 9 3 1 3

Team Totals 52 30 15 10 5