Thunder fall to Loboes, Rebels

The Medina/Pingree-Buchanan Thunder girls have hit a rough patch of their 2022-23 schedule, and are mired in a six-game losing streak.

The Thunder took two competitive defeats to a pair of respectable District 5 opponents in LaMoure/Litchville-Marion, 35-31, and Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier, 47-37.

Game action with L-L-M was close throughout, though the Loboes did not make their own lives easier with a very poor 10-for-28 performance at the free-throw stripe which included 0-for-7 in the fourth quarter.

Allison Thomas had 11 points for the Thunder, with nine of those coming on three perimeter shots. Maddie Gefroh, the Thunder sophomore, finished with nine points as the duo combined for almost two-thirds of the team's offense.

In the low-scoring victory for LaMoure/L-M (4-4), Tessa Rasmusson paced the team with nine points. Bailie Kelley added eight and Norah DelaBarre seven for the victorious Loboes.

Four evenings afterwards, M-P-B trailed the Rebels by only one at halftime, 25-24, but E-K-M enjoyed a nine-point advantage in the second half to slowly pull away.

Kalen Kinzell had the big game offensively for the Thunder with 12 points, while Thomas finished with six.

In the win for the Rebs (7-3), Mataeya Mathern largely put the offense on her back in the second half with 11 of her game-high 18 points. Kiara Jangula hit two first half threes, and her nine-point effort was second-best for E-K-M.

The Rebels were inconsistent from the foul line, shooting at 50 percent even at 11-for-22.

(Note: This article was originally intended to run in the January 16 issue of the Independent, but there was insufficient space available.)

Nondistrict Girls' Basketball

LaMoure/Litchville-Marion 35,

M-P-B 31

at Pingree

L-L-M 8 13 4 10 35

M-P-B 8 12 1 10 31

M-P-B: Allison Thomas 11, Maddie Gefroh 9, Sophie Bohl 4, Alaina Bosche 3, Lilly Bohl 2, Isabel Schmidt 2. Totals: 11 FG, 6-11 FT, 22 fouls. Three-pointers: Thomas 3.

LaMoure/L-M: Tessa Rasmusson 9, Bailie Kelley 8, Norah DelaBarre 7, Addison Smith 5, Brooklyn Braun 2, Georgia Lettenmaier 2, Addie Robbins 2. Totals: 12 FG, 10-28 FT, 10 fouls. Three-pointer: Rasmusson. Technical foul: L-L-M bench.

Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier 47,

M-P-B 37

at Medina

E-K-M 10 15 11 11 47

M-P-B 12 12 8 5 37

M-P-B: Kalen Kinzell 12, Thomas 6, Schmidt 5, Gefroh 4, S. Bohl 3, Bosche 3, L. Bohl 2, Cierra Mack 2. Totals: 13 FG, 8-13 FT, 19 fouls. Three-pointers: Thomas, Schmidt, S. Bohl.

E-K-M: Mataeya Mathern 18, Kiara Jangula 9, Grace Irey 8, Libby Mathern 5, Lexie Dallman 4, Reagan Teske 2, Abby Mathern 1. Totals: 17 FG, 11-22 FT, 14 fouls. Three-pointers: Jangula 2.