Malta, NC, Middle School Teams win respective Championships

The middle school basketball season concluded on Saturday, November 20, and Phillips County had two championship teams represented.

The Malta Middle School Eighth Grade Team and North Country Eighth Grade teams each earned first-place finishes.

In Malta's Northeastern Middle School Division championship win over Scobey, the score was 44-25. The tournament was held on Saturday in Glasgow.

Malta was led by Denvyr Tuss, who had 20 points. Tuss was also 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.

Kendall Clausen had 14 points and both of the game's three-point field goals. Neva Johnson and Emree Stuart both scored four points.

The win was the second in a row for this group of girls, who won the title as seventh graders.

"They are an amazing group of girls who were so much fun to coach," Malta Head Coach Kelly Cederberg said. "They have a passion for the sport and a love for each other as teammates. Those things combined equated to our successful season. They are going to do great things in high school basketball and they are already looking forward to it."

In the Maverick's Championship game, North Country squared off against the Dodson Coyotes and won 51-13. The tournament was held in Nashua on Friday, November 19.

The team was led by BaiLee McColly who scored 17 points and had three treys. Kodi McColly had ten points, Emerson Downing had 10 (two-three pointers), and Lyli Bear had six points.

Mavericks Head Coach Kraig Nordahl credited the team's 1-2-1-1 half-court trap as a key in their win. The team took a 15-2 lead in the first quarter due to the turnovers they forced.

"The girls practiced and played hard all season," Coach Nordahl said. "Our goal every year never changes and that is to win our district championship. We talk about focus and determination every day and by the time we got to the tournament, they were more than ready. Our defense was very good for the most part this year, which is what we put the majority of our attention on."

North Country defeated Nashua in the opening round 45-11. BaiLee McColly and Kennedy Simonson each scored 12 points. K. McColly had eight, Sommer Green had eight, and Downing had five.

Prior to their respective tournaments, the MMS Colts and NC Mavericks met for the second time this season. Malta defeated the Mavericks 37-12.

"We played good defense and we ran our plays pretty well," Emree Stuart said after the game.

Malta was led by Tuss, who had 14 points. Neva Johnson had eight points.

"It was pretty gnarly at first, but then we got into our groove and I got some buckets," Tuss said.

North Country's K. McColly and BaiLee McColly each had four points.

Both teams struggled to score in the first quarter, as Malta only scored a pair of two-point field goals and North Country had one. In the second quarter, Malta's defense triggered a few fast-break opportunities and the team went on a 10-4 run before halftime. The score was 14-6.

Malta turned up the pressure after halftime and did not allow any points in the third while posting 17 points. Malta outscored North Country 8-6 in the fourth quarter.

At the time, Malta was 11-0 and done with regular-season games. The team was asked how it felt to conclude the season undefeated.

"It feels great," Malta guard Kylie Bishop said. "We are undefeated like we were last year."

Prior to the tournament, Tuss was asked who the team's toughest opponent has been. She mentioned Scobey and Poplar.

"When we first played Scobey in Harlem, it was a really close game and we only defeated them by three," Tuss said. "The second time, we beat them by 20."

Emree Stuart said that the team felt pressure to go undefeated this year in order to post two consecutive seasons without a loss.