| 01/30/2013 |
| Lady Bulldogs nip Pipestone 48-43 for fourth win |
| By LARRY LEEDS, Sports Editor |
A fast start and a strong finish propelled the Madison Lady Bulldogs to their fourth win of the season on Tuesday at the Madison Middle School Gym. The Lady Bulldogs downed the Pipestone Arrows 48-43 in a non-conference clash.
The Lady Bulldogs went on a 13-4 run to grab the early lead with just under two minutes in the opening quarter. Pipestone closed the period with a 3-0 run but the Lady Bulldogs held a 13-7 lead. "We came out strong but then really struggled in the second quarter," said Madison Coach Adam Ericsson. "We went away from what was working for us." Madison built an 11-point advantage, 20-9, with 4:25 left in the half when Marinda Kern hit for two. After Kern's basket, the Arrows outscored Madison 13-2 to deadlock the score at 22-22 at intermission. "We were ready for the physical game that the Arrows play," Kern said. "It was very rough out there." Behind Madison Nipe and Danielle Roemen, the Lady Bulldogs grabbed a 29-24 lead with 5:29 left in the third period. Nipe scored four points and Roemen added a three-pointer in the stretch. Pipestone outscored Madison 8-7 to close the quarter and held a 32-31 lead entering the final period. The Arrows opened the final quarter with three points to grab a 35-31 advantage. A free throw by Kern and a three-pointer by Roemen knotted the score at 35-35 with 6:43 left in the game. The score remained deadlocked at 35-35 until Nipe hit a long-range shot with 4:37 to go to put the Lady Bulldogs on top 38-35. The Lady Bulldogs never relinquished the lead after Nipe's three-pointer. Madison made 13 of 33 field goals, 39 percent, and hit 12 of 22 free throws, 54 percent. Pipestone made 12 of 48 field goals, 25 percent, and made just 8-of-19 free throws, 42 percent. Pipestone held a huge advantage on the boards 39-18. "Pipestone plays physical inside. We didn't match their rebounding intensity and paid a price on the glass," Ericsson said. Roemen tossed in 14 points to pace the Lady Bulldogs. She made 4-of-5 three-point shots and dished out four assists. Nipe added 13 counters for the Lady Bulldogs. Kern and Morgan Skluzacek each grabbed four rebounds. Kelly Nettik scored six points for the Arrows and Bianca Claussen pulled down seven rebounds. "Our young guards learned some valuable lessons that need to be translated to the rest of the season," Ericsson. "We have to handle the pressure better to compete the way we believe we can." Madison (4-10 overall) will swing back into action on Friday. The Lady Bulldogs will go to Hartford to face the West Central Trojans in Big 8 Conference play at 7:45 p.m.
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