Lady Bulldogs drop opener to Hamlin

Posted on Friday, December 7, 2007

The Mat Nelson era in Madison girls basketball began on a sour note last night, as Hamlin thumped the Bulldogs 59-30 in Hayti.

After a back-and-forth first quarter, Hamlin took an early 10-6 first quarter lead. Madison pulled within one in the second quarter, but the Chargers went on a 5-0 run to end the half then outscored Madison 19-7 in the third quarter to take the lead for good and improve to 2-0 on the season. Coach Nelson says a big factor in the game was the Chargers' control of the tempo.

Kaitlynn Higgins led Madison's scoring with 8 points. Breanne Manthey and Marti Schoeberl each added 6 points, while Manthey earned player of the game honors with 7 rebounds. While the score was one-sided, Nelson says there were a lot of positives in the game for Madison, especially on defense.

Three Chargers finished the night in double figures, led by Cassie Jacobsen's 14 points and 7 rebounds. Danielle Schneider finished with 11 points, while Larae Zimprich scored 10. Madison's next action is Saturday night, when they take on Sioux Valley at the Entringer Classic in Flandreau. Tip-off is at 6:10; Matt Hendrickson will bring you the action on AM 1390, starting with the pre-game show at 5:50.