Lady Coyotes pick up two wins

The Lady Coyotes posted a pair of dominant wins over divisional opponent last weekend as the team defeated Frazer and Lustre Christian.

“Two wins feels pretty good,” Dodson Head Coach Deserae Kill Eagle told the PCN. “It was a great weekend and seeing the growth in the ladies over the weekend was exciting. We have been working on ball rotation and more intensity all around with a heavy focus on incorporating that intensity into our defense.”

In their home win over the Frazer Lady Bearcubs on Friday, January 11, the Lady Coyotes were led by Ella Messerly who scored 25 points. Messerly made four of Dodson’s seven treys, three of which were made in the fourth quarter. Messerly would total 59 points last weekend as she scored 34 against Lustre Christian.

“Izzabella is a strong player and she fights for that ball and fights for her way to the basket often drawing the foul,” Coach Kill Eagle said. “She was 5-of-6 from the charity line Saturday night, many of those free throw opportunities coming from her crashing the board and going up strong. ”

Christina Jaynes added a season-high 18 points in the team’s win over the Lady Bearcubs, which included eight points in the first quarter.

“Christina was doing an excellent job of finding the gaps on offense and capitalizing on her shot opportunities,” Coach Kill Eagle said. 

Kailee Henry had 11 points. Lindsey Fetter had four points and Jean Jackson had three points. Though Henry is a capable scorer, Coach Kill Eagle has been relying on Henry to be a true point guard.

“I have been asking Kailee to facilitate the offense and create shot opportunities for her teammates as well as herself,” Coach Kill Eagle said. “Being able to see the floor and know how to set others up for scoring isn't an easy task and not one that very many players care to take on.”

In Dodson’s win over Lustre Christian, Messerly led the Lady Coyotes with 34 points, her highest score total of the season. Henry scored 14 points. Jaynes scored seven points. Fetter scored three points and Jackson added one point.

“Christina held strong on the boards as she usually does and our eighth grader Lindsey Fetter stepped up to help her big time in the game against Luster Saturday night by adding 12 of her own rebounds,” Coach Kill Eagle said. “They work really well together down there as Lindsey is defensively savvy and Christina is a beast down low. Ireland Best and Jean Jackson have really been stepping up their focus on holding their position down low and that has helped tremendously.”

The Lady Coyotes held Lustre in single digits every quarter. The team jumped out to a 15-8 lead at the conclusion of the first period. The team would then outscore Lustre 12-6 in the second. The score at halftime was 27-14. The Lady Coyotes would continue their defensive dominance in the third only giving up three points, while piling on 19 and the team would score 13 points in the fourth, giving up nine.

The Lady Coyotes are scheduled to face Opheim/Nashua JV on Friday, January 18 in Opheim. The team will then travel to Scobey to take on the Scobey Spartans at 3:30 p.m.

The team has been working on several aspects of the game, but there is an aspect of the game Coach Kill Eagle really wants to bring out.

“We would like to have more of an inside/outside game so with the help of Coach Francine Kill Eagle the girls have been working on post positioning down low and getting stronger on their move to the basket,” Coach Kill Eagle said.