The Dickinson girls’ basketball program (1-9, 3-9) played at home against powerhouse Bismarck Century (10-0, 11-0) on Tuesday night. The Patriots left Dickinson collecting a win with a similar result from their first encounter earlier in the season. The deficit was 13 points larger than before with the final result being 89-40.
The was no contesting undefeated Century, with several players out due to illness, including senior guard Taya Hopfauf. The Midgets faced the stronger side with grit, but their inability to execute their plays kept them fighting from behind.
“We had a couple of girls out so we just weren't communicating very efficiently on offense,” Dickinson head coach Devin Douglas said. “I thought we did a decent job scrambling in the first half. We just got to learn how to contain teams like that. You know a team like Century is going to get going, but it is just a matter of how well you contain them and we didn't do a really good job at containing them tonight.”
The first half ended 36-23 with Century building their sizable lead from early on. Dickinson’s players were constantly bombarded on offense and left open shooters on defense.
Junior guard Emily Ash did show her capabilities, going on a 5-3 run right before halftime. It started with a defensive rebound and ended with a stolen ball and a completed jump shot.
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The second half would continue with the Patriots building a wider gap. The Midgets scored only 17 in the second half.
“We need to find a way to score,” Douglas said. “We just have to put two halves together. Time and time again it is the tale of two halves. We got to come out in the second half and find ways to score.”
Just a minute into the second half, Dickinson’s deficit grew to 20 points. Senior guard Reese Hauck continued to fight, driving into the paint for layups and drawing fouls when possible. Midway through the second half the score was 64-31 when Century would go on 17-2 run.
“She (Hauck) is always going to give 150 percent all the time and the team can expect that,” Douglas said. “She is one of the hardest working kids I have seen in my life.”
With points hard to come by, the Midgets fell to Century with a deficit of 49.
Dickinson's top scorer was Hauck with 12, and she also had the most rebounds with nine. Ash had 11 points, six boards and led with two steals.
Their next game will be at home with them facing Jamestown. Their last encounter resulted in a 43-point victory to the Blue Jays
“We got a little chip on our shoulders,” They blew us out last time we were there and we all believe they are a team that we can compete with so we just have to come ready to go on Friday.”
