The Malad boys basketball team finished their regular season on the road as they took on the West Side Pirates in their final regular season matchup.  The game had a very different vibe in contrast to the earlier matchup between the two teams just the previous week.  However, despite the increased intensity and execution, the Dragons were still unable to hold back the stellar Pirate team.

The Dragons jumped to a quick lead on their Tuesday night game thanks to a three pointer by Carter Carey on the left wing, assisted by Zack Richardson.  Two possessions later, it was Richardson who hit the three pointer off an assist by Carey.  Not only was the Malad outside shooting game strong but also their drive to the basket, scoring a number of early baskets from the offensive penetration.

Malad’s defensive efforts matched their offensive work on the other end of the court as they minimized West Side’s scoring opportunities.  Brayzen Gibbs played unrelenting defense as he didn’t give up any space as his opponent dribbled across the baseline, eventually forcing him out of bounds.  Brady Showell battled on the block against West Side, deflecting passes and snagging steals.  The intense team defense held the Pirates to an impressive 14 points to end the first quarter while the Dragons tacked up 22 points.  

In addition to Carey and Richardson scoring in the opening period, Easton Green and Showell contributed points to help the MHS team claim the lead.

But the lead was short lived as West Side came out in the second quarter to put up 23 points to Malad’s 13.  Moving into the second half, the Dragons held the Pirates to their fewest points, only allowing 13 in the third quarter.  Despite forcing a low scoring period, the MHS team fell even farther behind on the scoreboard as they trailed 50-44.

Six points was not an impossible lead to make up, but the tough Pirate play made it an unattainable feat, the Dragons falling 60-72.  In many aspects of the game, the two teams were equally matched as they had similar shooting attempts, rebounds and turnovers.  In the end, West Side’s marginally better shooting average, fewer errors and second change opportunities turned the tide in their favor.

With their final regular season game behind them, the Dragons turned their focus to the postseason district tournament that would begin in a few short days.  As the sixth seed of the tournament, Malad was scheduled to play the Cardinals in Soda Springs on Saturday, February 15.

The game was slow to take off as defense dominated the opening minutes of the game.  With three minutes still remaining in the first quarter, the Cardinals led 4-10 before going on a run that could hardly be stopped.  As the two teams paused for half time, Malad trailed 15-35.

Coming back to the game in the third quarter, it was if a new MHS team had stepped on the court.  Their aggressive, no quit defense came out to hold Soda Springs scoreless for four minutes before they hit a free throw to end the dry spell.  The Dragons were suddenly fighting for loose balls, deflecting long passes, and outrebounding the Cardinal team.  

The clamp down defense allowed only 8 points for Soda Springs in the third quarter and 9 in the fourth, nearly shutting down their offense.  Unfortunately, the Malad offense was unable to make any significant difference to the strong lead the Cardinals had heaped up in the opening half.  As the final buzzer rang out, the Dragons found themselves down 27-52.

“We competed well with West Side on Tuesday,” shared Head Coach Zach Beutler.  He continued, “Needless to say it was a very disappointing evening on Saturday. We felt locked in and had 3 great practices preparing for Soda Springs.”  The loss might have been disappointing, but Coach Beutler and his team are focusing on the future and their next district game.  The Dragons will play the loser of the Tuesday night semi-final game between the #2 seed West Side and #3 seed Wendell.  The game will be played on Thursday, February 20 beginning at 7 pm, hosted by the high seed.

MHS vs West Side

Tuesday, February, 11

1 2 3 4 T

West Side  14 23 13 22 72

Malad  22 13 9 16 60

Name PTS REB AST STL BLK

0 Carter Carey 10 4 6 1 0

1 Easton Green 14 4 0 1 0

3 Ruger Smith 0 3 1 1 0

12 Braun Nalder 2 3 0 0 0

22 Brady Showell 12 4 1 2 0

23 Brayzen Gibbs 0 3 3 1 0

24 Justin Toone 6 6 0 0 3

30 Zach Richardson 16 1 5 1 0

TOTALS 60 28 16 7 3

MHS vs Soda Springs

District Game #2

Saturday, February, 15

1 2 3 4 T

Soda Springs  16 19 8 9 52

Malad  6 9 4 8 27

Name PTS REB AST STL BLK

0 Carter Carey 5 0 0 0 0

1 Easton Green 6 1 2 4 0

3 Ruger Smith 0 2 1 0 0

4 Oak Smith 3 0 0 1 0

10 Kyson Willie 0 1 0 0 0

12 Braun Nalder 0 3 0 0 0

15 Brex Martinsen 0 1 0 0 0

20 Trigger Jones 0 0 0 0 0

22 Brady Showell 5 4 0 2 0

23 Brayzen Gibbs 4 1 0 1 1

24 Justin Toone 0 5 2 0 3

30 Zach Richardson 4 2 3 2 0

TOTALS 33 21 10 14 4