Bulldogs blast past conference foes

By Audrey Posten | Times-Register

After opening last week with a tough loss to Decorah, the MFL MarMac girls basketball team rebounded with dominant victories over Clayton Ridge and West Central.

Down just 25-18, the Bulldogs remained within striking distance of Decorah after the first half of their Jan. 5 game, but the Vikings went on a 21-7 run in the third quarter to pull away for a 62-34 win. 

With 10 points, junior Sam Ruff was the only Bulldog to hit double digits. Her stat line also included three rebounds and three assists. 

Brynlee Fritz and Kacie Picha were impactful off the bench, as Fritz contributed seven points, three rebounds and a steal and Picha six points and two rebounds. Emma Driscoll didn’t score in the contest, but led the team with eight rebounds and two assists.

MFL MarMac put Clayton Ridge away early in a Jan. 6 Upper Iowa Conference game in Monona, closing the first half on a 17-2 run for a commanding 35-11 lead. Powered by a 37.9 percent shooting night and a defense that forced 22 steals, the Bulldogs won 60-25.

Freshman Olivia Driscoll paved the way with 20 points, including a perfect 3-3 from three-point range. She also had two assists, a steal and a rebound.

Ruff netted eight points and a team-high five steals along with three rebounds and three assists. Blair Winter added seven points, six rebounds and an assist, and supported the defense with a steal and a block. Cora Keehner finished the night with seven points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

The Bulldogs were even more dominant Jan. 9 at West Central, holding the Blue Devils to five points or fewer in each quarter—and just 14 points total—in a 59-14 win. Aided by 22 steals that kept the ball in their hands, MFL MarMac shot 38.7 percent overall and knocked down eight long range shots.

In another strong game off the bench, Picha was responsible for half the three-pointers, which accounted for all of her team-high 12 points. Her stat line also included two rebounds and an assist. 

Olivia Driscoll turned in nine points, three steals and a rebound, while Winter had a well-rounded eight points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Keehner added eight points and four rebounds, and Ruff seven points, three rebounds and three assists to go with her team-best six steals.

Now 9-4 overall and atop the Upper Iowa Conference big school division with a 7-2 record, MFL MarMac has only one game on the schedule this week: Friday, Jan. 16, at Kee.