Lady Mustangs Fall in Defensive Battle to Rival Pine City

Mora traveled to Pine City on Wednesday night.

There was alot on the line in this game for both sides, a win overall yes, but a chance for a section and conference win along with pride. A win for either team vastly improves their standing in the section as we approach playoffs.

In the early stages of the 1st half, it was a bit of a feeling out process for both sides. But once both teams settled in, there was non stop action. Defenses played a big part in this game, and even though it wasn't a lower scoring 1st half, the defenses were still the talking point. Both the Dragons and Mustangs had a short scoring run, but it was Pine City who lead the majority of the half. Their defense created turnovers with blocked shots and steals, which created chances for fast breaks. But they weren't the only ones who played good defense. Mora set the tone early on with their defense, they forced Pine City into a slide of turnovers and put them off their game. Turnover and takeaways were pretty much even at the half. But Pine City would give one last strong run to nearly end the half. But the Mustangs made a stop and scored an easy layup with no time left, trailing at the half 33-24. Although they trailed they certainly gave themselves some momentum going into the 2nd half.

Both teams came out into the 2nd half with some confidence. Both teams had their gameplan and executed them well. But once again the defenses made the plays. The defenses created turnovers but the offenses just couldn't seem to score when they needed. The Dragons seemed to break through first offensively, they found some success getting the ball to the post and getting "easy" layups. Nothing came easy in this game. Late in the game the Dragons held a double digit lead and were about to pull away, then the Mustangs offense found new life. With the help of their defense, their offense got on a roll and they dropped the deficit down to a couple of possessions. With only two minutes left, there was plenty of time to tie the game and take the lead. But once Pine City got the ball, they just played a simple game of keep away. They drained the clock and didn't allow Mora to get close enough to foul. And this would pay for the Dragons, as they would finish off the game with the win 53-46.

These two teams will play again next week in Mora.

Scoring

Mora:

Addison Axtell 16

Emma Axtell 12

Chloe Yoder 9

Addison Braiedy 5

Ellia Kastenbauer and Macee Schwarzbauer 2

Pine City:

Kate Unverzagt 25

Mallory Clepper, Reyah Johnson and Maggie Judd 6

Paige Gray and Brooke Boland 5