MISSION GB RECAP: Twice as nice

RONAN - For the Mission Lady Bulldogs, one good thing deserves

another.

After winning their first game of the season in a close matchup

against the Ronan Maidens, the Lady Bulldogs kept things going with

a victory over Troy.

On Tuesday, Jan. 10, Mission got 10 points from Bryanna Steele and

nine from Loren Erickson as they used a 16-4 second quarter to down

Ronan 39-32.

RONAN - For the Mission Lady Bulldogs, one good thing deserves another.

After winning their first game of the season in a close matchup against the Ronan Maidens, the Lady Bulldogs kept things going with a victory over Troy.

On Tuesday, Jan. 10, Mission got 10 points from Bryanna Steele and nine from Loren Erickson as they used a 16-4 second quarter to down Ronan 39-32.

"The girls didn't seem really nervous going into the week," Mission head coach Les Rice said. "It's nice to get a couple wins, but they didn't seem pressured."

The Maidens led 6-5 after one period, but the big second quarter gave the Lady Bulldogs a double-digit lead entering halftime.

"In the second quarter, we shot the ball better," Rice said. "We got offensive rebounds for putbacks, hit our free throws. It wasn't just one person, five girls scored. Defensively, we were able to force turnovers."

Stephanie Lewandowski scored eight points for the Lady Bulldogs, while Sophia Woodcock added six, Katrina Stevens three, Cecelia Koskela two and Twyala Hogge one for the visitors.

Mission held its lead into the fourth quarter, where Ronan made a rally, but couldn't stop the Lady Bulldogs from reaching the win column.

That momentum kept going into Saturday, when Mission used an 11-1 first quarter and a 10-0 game-ending run to defeat the visiting Troy Lady Trojans 37-28. Troy was able to rally from their early 10-point deficit to take a 28-27 lead in the fourth quarter, but a pair of threes late from Erickson and Steele put Mission ahead to stay.

"It was kind of neat to see that we didn't panic," Rice said. "We didn't shoot well in the second half until we got behind, so it was nice to see us come back."

Steele scored 15 of Mission's 37, while Erickson added nine, Lewandowski five and Stevens four for the Lady Bulldogs. Koskela and Woodcock contributed two points apiece for Mission.

Looking ahead, Mission has Arlee, Charlo and conference rival Deer Lodge on a tough week, but Rice is excited for the opportunity.

"Hopefully, we'll build on our shooting," Rice said. "We had streaks where we shot it really well. We will face different types of teams which will be a challenge."

Results from their matchup against Arlee on Tuesday were unavailable at press time. Mission will then face Charlo on Thursday and Deer Lodge on Saturday to wrap up the week.

MISSION 39, RONAN 32

Mission - 5 - 16 - 8 - 10 - 39

Ronan - 6 - 4 - 8 - 14 - 32

Lady Bulldogs scoring - Bryanna Steele 10, Loren Erickson 9, Stephanie Lewandowski 8, Sophia Woodcock 6, Katrina Stevens 3, Cecelia Koskela 2, Twyala Hogge 1

MISSION 37, TROY 28

Troy - 1 - 11 - 6 - 10 - 28

Mission - 11 - 7 - 7 - 12 - 37

Lady Bulldogs scoring - Bryanna Steele 15, Loren Erickson 9, Stephanie Lewandowski 5, Katrina Stevens 4, Cecelia Koskela 2, Sophia Woodcock 2