Gangl’s three-point play in OT lifts Midgets
Sydney Gangl knew no one was around, but a player would eventually close in fast.By: Royal McGregor, The Dickinson Press
- Taylor Cooper
Sydney Gangl knew no one was around, but a player would eventually close in fast.
Gangl, a Dickinson High junior guard, received a full-court pass from guard Lillie Meduna with 23 seconds left in overtime, dropped in the game-winning layup, drew the foul and made the ensuing free throw.
“I knew someone was coming quick, so I just had to stay composed,” Gangl said.
The three-point play proved to be enough as the Dickinson girls basketball team defeated Bismarck St. Mary’s 69-67 in a West Region game on Friday at the DHS gymnasium.
“When we run our stuff and we do what we ask them to do, we do some wonderful things,” Dickinson head coach Dan Pender said. “I think we did some wonderful things tonight.”
Throughout the first 12 games this season, the Midgets have taken two losses by 40 points or more. The plus side is after each of those losses, Dickinson has responded with a West Region win.
Dickinson’s most recent lopsided defeat was 82-33 against No. 1-ranked Bismarck Century on Thursday. Earlier in the season, the Midgets took Century to overtime and lost 66-57.
“After losing by like 40 yesterday, it feels really good to win today,” said Gangl, who finished with 14 points. “We know that we can compete with any team.”
After a back-and-forth battle throughout much of regulation, St. Mary’s went on a 9-2 run to take a 60-52 lead.
The Midgets needed a little spark and it came on a Taylor Cooper 3-pointer. The senior guard finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five steals. She also went 4 of 8 from 3-point range. As a team, the Midgets made 8 of 18 (44 percent) 3-pointers.
“We got down, but I told the ladies there’s plenty of time left,” Pender said. “They just got after it and we made some stops, a clutch 3-pointer and Ali Moody got to the free-throw line.”
Moody, a Dickinson senior, scored the team’s final seven points of the second half, including the final free throw with 16 seconds left to tie the game at 62.
She finished 11 of 12 from the free-throw line, while supplying a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Dickinson (5-7, 3-6 West) had four players in double figures as senior forward Rachel Schroeder had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. As a team, the Midgets shot 23 of 51 (45 percent) from the field.
The Saints’ (2-7, 2-7 West) lone points in the overtime came on a pair of Sydney Miller free throws. Miller finished with a game-high 22 points, four rebounds and three assists. She was 3 of 4 from the line, but as a team the Saints struggled, shooting just 11 of 19 (58 percent).
“Missing so many free throws and missing about 10 wide-open layups really hurt our team,” St. Mary’s head coach Rachel Zillmer said. “Those really snuck up on us at the end and Dickinson got hot when they had to.”
At halftime, Dickinson held a 29-25 advantage, but St. Mary’s wanted a strong first four minutes. They got what they asked for as the Saints took a 39-33 lead after the first 3 minutes of the second half.
“It was our goal to come out of the half and come out with a bang,” Zillmer said. “The girls got it done. It was just back and forth after that.”
Dickinson now hits the road for three straight West Region games, beginning with Williston at 5 p.m. Thursday.
“We’ve got a little of confidence before going out on the road for two games,” Pender said. “Road trips in the WDA are tough and this was a nice confidence booster.”
SM: Sydney Miller 22, Taylor Gendreau 13, Dominique Giesen 10, Lexi Schweitzer 7, Rachel Power 5, Jarren Fallgatter 5, Angie Schumacher 3, Megan Hixson 2.
D: Ali Moody 19, Taylor Cooper 18, Sydney Gangl 14, Rachel Schroeder 10, Sierra Rohr 5, Lillie Meduna 3.
Half: DHS 29-25. 3-pointers: SM 4 (Gendreau 2, Miller 1, Schumacher 1), D 8 (T. Cooper 4, Gangl 3, Meduna 1). Free throws: SM 11-19, D 15-20. Total fouls: SM 18, D 16. Rebounds: SM 38 (Power 9), D 32 (Moody 11). Assists: SM 22 (Gendreau, Power), D 22 (Moody 11r). Steals: SM 11 (Gendreau 3, Power 3), D 9 (T. Cooper 5). Blocks: SM 2 (Giesen 1, Schweitzer 1). Turnovers: SM 15, D 17. Records: SM 2-7 (2-7 West), D 5-7 (3-6 West).
Tags: high school basketball, dickinson midgets, sports, basketball
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