Bobcats sweep doubleheader against Douglas

The Bobcats snapped a pair of losing streaks at Bob Jostad Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

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BROOKINGS – The Brookings Bobcats picked up a sweep as they hosted the Douglas Patriots for a basketball doubleheader at Bob Jostad Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

The girls team led off the doubleheader by defeating the Patriots 59-27 and the the boys team won the nightcap by a score of 62-44.

GIRLS

Brookings 59, Douglas 27

The Bobcats used some great defense and a balanced scoring effort to snap a five-game losing streak in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader. 

Brookings’s defensive performance was dominant from the opening tip as the Patriots shot 0-for-11 in the first quarter as the Bobcats jumped out to an 11-1 lead. The Bobcats continued to put the pressure on Douglas, forcing a total of 17 turnovers to help take a 24-15 lead into halftime.

“I thought we constantly had five players on the floor working together on the defensive end,” Brookings head coach Mitch McLagan said. “I’m so incredibly proud of the way we played together on the defensive end. We moved our feet really well and we knew [our defense] had to carry us in the first half when things weren’t easy on the offensive end.”

While the shots didn’t fall in the first half, the Bobcats picked it up after halftime. Brookings shot 54.5 percent from the floor in the second half and 39.6 percent for the game as they won the third quarter 14-7. The Bobcats put the finishing touches on the victory with a 21-5 advantage in the fourth quarter and a team-high 13 points from Macy Even.

Even, who also grabbed six rebounds, was one of several young players that made an impact over the weekend as Tess Burns recorded her second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Logan Smidt scored 12 points to go with six rebounds.

“It’s fun to watch because every night you see them take that extra step,” McLagan said of his underclassmen. “Macy was incredible and I don’t think we have a lead at halftime if we don’t have her on the floor. I just didn’t think we could have her on the bench and when you have a freshman in that situation…she was really good.”

The Bobcats also got strong play from their seniors including Sophia Hammrich, who had 10 points and five rebounds, Sophia Dvergsten, who had five points and seven rebounds and Gracie Sherdan, who had five points and five boards.

“The thing I like about our seniors is that we have a bunch of competition,” McLagan said. “Our seniors really want to win and their competitive nature has really rubbed off on our younger players.”
That desire to win helped the Bobcats break a five-game losing streak which saw them play well for stretches but didn’t see it in the standings.

“The win is great because as players and coaches – we needed it,” McLagan said. “I thought we struggled offensively in the first half but we played better offensively in the second half. We ran transition and shared the basketball. It’s about as good as we’ve looked offensively all year and now it’s about putting those possessions together, putting some of those quarters together and putting a full game together.”

The Bobcats improved to 3-11 on the season with the win and will host Sioux Falls Roosevelt on Tuesday night.

BOYS

Brookings 62, Douglas 44

The Bobcats snapped a 12-game losing streak by defeating the Patriots in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Much like the girls’ game, the Bobcats took control in the first half thanks to a balanced scoring attack and the success of their defense. 

Brookings forced the Patriots into 10 turnovers in the first half and was able to take a 28-25 lead into halftime. The Bobcats were able to turn their defensive intensity up in the second half, forcing seven more turnovers and holding the Patriots to 26 percent shooting in the second half and 34.8 percent on the night.

“We really challenged the guys to get up in the passing lanes the last few days in practice,” Brookings head coach David Rohrbach said. “We figured if we could disrupt their timing a little bit, get out in passing lanes and kind of disrupt that before they get into their ball-screen action, that would help us a lot.”

With the defense doing its job, the Bobcats started the second half with a 9-0 run, allowing them to build a 12-point lead.

“They were giving us a little trouble by rolling over and we weren’t helping real well,” Rohrbach said. “We just did our best to keep their guards in front of us and I thought we kind of threw a curveball at them defensively in the third quarter. We did a real nice job of just knowing where their players were, knowing that they have a couple of guys that can really do some damage and get to the rim and a couple of shooters. The guys just did a really good job of being locked in.”

The Bobcats put the game away thanks to a balanced scoring effort that saw three players score in double figures. Austin Clark led the way with a team-high 17 points, Nathan Lease had 14 points and six rebounds and Owen Burns added 11 points to spark the Brookings offense.

After winning the third quarter 17-7 and the fourth quarter by a score of 17-12, the Bobcats earned their first victory since the season opener against Watertown on Dec. 9.

“It was super important for us to get a win,” Rohrbach said. “We’ve had stretches where we’ll play well for a couple of quarters but eventually, you just need to get a win. We told the guys in the locker room that we give them credit for just continuing to work hard because it’s not easy when you win that first game of the year and it's been a long time since we won a game. You’re just so happy to see them get rewarded.”

The Bobcats improved to 2-12 on the season with the win and will travel to Sioux Falls Roosevelt on Tuesday night.