Bulldogs close out regular season
With 23 points, Riley Moreland was MFL MarMac’s leading scorer in the win over Decorah. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
Miranda Lang sends a pass to a teammate in the Bulldogs’ 69-54 win against Decorah on Feb. 11. The junior had three assists in the game, along with 10 points.
MFL MarMac players drained 12 of 23 three-point attempts versus Decorah. Lakota Morrissey hit three shots from behind the arc, contributing to her 11-point total.
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The MFL MarMac girls basketball team wrapped up its regular season last week, suffering a tough loss to conference-leading North Fayette Valley before taking down Decorah.
The Bulldogs hosted the TigerHawks on Feb. 8, losing a back-and-forth match-up 49-40. MFL MarMac controlled the game at halftime, 24-20, but relinquished that lead in the next period. NFV went on a 9-4 run to end the quarter up 29-28. Early in the fourth, Carlie Jones hit a three-pointer that gave the Bulldogs a 31-30 advantage, but the TigerHawks answered with a critical 11-0 run.
MFL MarMac did a large part of its scoring from behind the arc, hitting seven of 16 three-point attempts. Senior Kayden Gillitzer sunk five of those, accounting for 15 of her team-high 20 points. She also racked up seven rebounds and three steals.
Miranda Lang finished the night with eight points and a team-leading five assists, as well as three steals and a rebound. Riley Moreland added five points, seven rebounds, three steals and all of the Bulldogs’ three blocks. Along with her key three-pointer, Jones’ stat line included six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
MFL MarMac rebounded from that loss Feb. 11, scoring a big 69-54 victory over visiting Decorah. The Bulldogs took control of the game early, leading 23-7 after just the first quarter. Decorah narrowed the advantage a bit in the second, trailing 31-20 at halftime, but MFL MarMac had another offensive burst in the third period. A 19-11 run put the team up 50-31. Although the Vikings chipped away at the lead in the final quarter, the Bulldogs won by 15 points.
It was another hot night from three-point range for MFL MarMac, as players drained 12 of 23 attempts. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the field—their best result of the season.
Moreland was MFL MarMac’s leading scorer, with 23 points. She also had eight rebounds and three assists and was tops on the team with three steals and two blocks. Gillitzer continued her scoring barrage, picking up 17 points—12 of which came from three-pointers. Her stat line included eight rebounds, two steals and an assist, as well. Lakota Morrissey hit three shots from the behind arc herself, adding to her 11-point total, and picked up three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Lang had 10 points, three assists, a rebound and a steal.
Last week’s games put MFL MarMac’s regular season record at 15-6. The team finished 12-4 in the Upper Iowa Conference, behind NFV, which was 15-0 in UIC action, and Turkey Valley, which was 13-3.
The Bulldogs started postseason play Tuesday night, Feb. 16, traveling to Jesup for a Class 2A - Region 1 quarterfinal match-up. MFL MarMac already faced the J-Hawks once this season, narrowly losing 43-41 in early December. The winner will play at Maquoketa Valley on Friday, Feb. 19, against the victor of the Maquoketa Valley/Starmont game.
