Bobcats search for offense after loss to Patriots

The Bobcats had some positives but their cold shooting led to a 51-48 loss to Sioux Falls Lincoln.

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The Bobcats’ loss to the Patriots had a familiar feel on Friday night as several turnovers and late-game miscues led Sioux Falls Lincoln to a 51-48 victory. But although head coach Mitch McLagan could have pointed to several plays down the stretch, he believed that the biggest culprit of the loss was the Bobcats’ lack of offense.

Brookings shot just 34.6 percent against the Patriots including 2-for-17 (11.8 percent) on 3-point attempts. While the Bobcats did enough to hold the lead for the majority of the game, McLagan believes that getting their shot to fall is the key to turning some of their close losses into decisive victories.

“We have got to find a way to put the ball in the hole,” McLagan said. “Right now, we just can’t shoot and it’s really hard to win games when that happens. We out-rebounded them, we had less turnovers and I thought we did some really nice things, but then we just don’t make shots.”

The Bobcats’ issues on offense didn’t stop them from taking control of the game early as they took a 10-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Brookings built its lead up to 10 points midway through the second quarter behind the play of Amari Ward. The freshman provided a spark for the Bobcats in the first half, scoring eight points off the bench and providing some much needed offense.

“She’s a high energy player,” McLagan said of Ward. “It was good to see her shot fall and when that happens, she can be a pretty good player for us. We’d like to see her get downhill a little bit more, but the way she shot [the ball] was a huge boost because at the time, we really needed it.”

The Bobcats were also able to control the glass thanks to the efforts of Tess Burns. Burns recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds on the night to help Brookings out-rebound the Patriots 35-31.

“Tess is just such a physical player,” McLagan said. “I thought she was more physical then their post players tonight and she showed off some of her better post moves. She’s growing as a player and sometimes we forget that she’s just a sophomore.”

The final piece for the Bobcats was their defense. Brookings forced the Patriots into 18 turnovers on the night and McLagan credited their half court trap and the effort from Macy Even.

“Her name won’t show up in the box score, but she was really good defensively for us,” McLagan said. “We made them uncomfortable in that half court trap and that was good to see, but we have to turn those [turnovers] into points.”

The Bobcats were able to score just enough to take a 24-21 lead into halftime and hold onto a 38-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter. While Brookings was in control for most of the game, it turned into a free-throw shooting contest late in the fourth quarter.

That’s where the Patriots took advantage as Brookings shot just 10-for-18 (55.6 percent) from the charity stripe and Sioux Falls Lincoln knocked down 12-of-15 attempts in the second half. With a chance to tie the game, Gracey Sheridan’s 3-pointer went just wide of the rim and the Bobcats had another game in which they played well enough to win, but came up empty-handed.

The loss marked the fifth straight for Brookings, who must rebound quickly as they play the first game of a basketball doubleheader against Douglas on Saturday afternoon.

“We have a great group of kids and I know that they’re hurting right now,” McLagan said of the Bobcats’ who had a similar game in a loss to top-ranked Sioux Falls Washington on Friday night. “I know that they’re going to show up and be ready to play [against Douglas]. Douglas is a team that’s gotten much better, so we’re going to have to play well.

Sofia Dvergsten had 10 points and four rebounds for the Bobcats while Sophia Hammrich had nine points. Kierra Lubovich led the Patriots with 24 points and eight rebounds while Addie Fawcett had 11 points, six assists and five rebounds. Mariah Siem also scored in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds on the night.

Saturday’s doubleheader will tip off at Bob Jostad Gymnasium in Brookings with the girls’ game at 2:30 p.m. with the boys game scheduled for 4 p.m.