Scottie Girls Win Two

The Glasgow Scottie girls basketball team reviewed their earlier losses, worked on their weak areas during practice and applied those lessons to their games this past weekend. The results were impressive - two conference wins by double digits over Harlem and Poplar. "The start of the season wasn't what we hoped for but it was nice to get a couple of wins this weekend," said Blaire Westby. "We're getting better at using each other's strengths which helps us be more successful."

Leading the Scotties this past weekend was Daley Aune, who came in off the bench Thursday night to drain 24 points to lead Glasgow to a 73-43 win over the Harlem Wildcats. Saturday night in Poplar, Abrianna Nielsen put in 17 points to lead the Scotties to their 58-35 win over the Indians, while Aune added 10 points.

On their home court, Glasgow lost the initial tip-off to Harlem but a steal by Tyann Graham earned her a trip to the foul line for two shots and a Glasgow two-point lead to start the game. Less than two minutes in, Glasgow had a 6-0 lead and Harlem applied a full court press. The Scotties, though, had spent a week practicing their press after their disappointing performance against North Country the week prior. Practice paid off as Glasgow calmly found their way around Harlem and down the court. "We had a hard week of practice and picked up our intensity on offense and defense," said Graham. "We played really well as a team."

Going the other way, Glasgow applied their own full court press. The Scotties forced turnovers and snagged steals leading to easy points for the home team. Glasgow converted on their opportunities to take a double digit lead in the first quarter on points from five different players before closing the first eight minutes with a 24-15 lead. Alexys Mann put up two threes and field goal for eight points. Graham put in a field goal and a three in addition to her free throws for seven points. Riley Noser put in six points due in part to her strength rebounding. Aune added two points and Westby added one from the free throw line.

Aune turned up the heat in the second quarter, putting in five baskets for 10 points to power her Scotties to a 46-24 lead at halftime. The 5'8" sophomore was also a defensive powerhouse for Glasgow, racking up steals which led to scoring chances. Glasgow drove to the net the aggressively, drawing fouls on Harlem and gaining several trips to the charity line. Nielsen put in four of her seven attempts from the line in the second quarter. Davyn Myrick added two points and Noser and Graham had two a piece for the Scotties.

The Wildcats outscored the Scotties in the third, putting up 13 points to Glasgow's 10, but the home team held steady in the lead. Aune put in six of her team's points on three field goals, while Nielsen and Westby added two points each.

Glasgow continued to apply pressure in the third and fourth quarters, frustrating Harlem and pushing the Wildcats to a run-and-gun style play. The Scotties, on the other hand, focused on slowing down and setting up their offense in the final quarter. Defensively and offensively, the Scotties made it work, racking up 17 points while holding the Wildcats to six. Harlem got into foul trouble in the second half, sending Glasgow to the line for seven free throws in the final quarter. Noser went four-of-four and Westby scored on one of two attempts. Aune again led her team in scoring with three field goals and exited the game with 1:51 left to cheers from fans and teammates alike. Nielsen and Myrick would each get two points. Carly Nelson scored the final bucket of the game, which gave Glasgow a 30-point lead.

Graham and Myrick were each called for three fouls in the game, with three of Graham's in the first half, while Nielsen, Mann and Westby each had one. Harlem was called for eight fouls in each half.

Coach Travis Nielsen was pleased with his team's 73-43 victory. "They did a much better job [than against North Country]," he said about his team's defense. "We have been working on it pretty hard for the week." With every player putting up points in the game, he is optimistic about his players' ability. "Daley did a great job for us against Harlem and I think she could turn it on in any game," he said before adding that he believes any of his girls could turn in a break out performance at any time.

Indeed, two days later, it was A. Nielsen who turned it up, draining three from outside the perimeter, putting in three two-pointers, and two free throws to score 17 points in Poplar. Glasgow took a 15-7 lead in the first quarter with a three and a free throw from Nielsen, a three from Mann, and buckets from Graham, Noser and Myrick.

The Scotties put up 17 points in the second, taking a 32-19 lead into half time. Nielsen had a three and a two in the second. Westby put in two-of-two from the line and field goal. Aune added five points with two field goals and a bonus shot, while Mann had a two point field goal and a free throw.

Glasgow's domination continued in the third quarter with balanced scoring from the Scotties, who put up 13 points while holding the Indians to 6. Aune put in two buckets for four points and Noser had a basket and a free throw for three. Nielsen, Westby and Mann each had two a piece. The Scotties allowed Poplar 10 points in the final quarter, but put up another 13 on their side of the scoreboard.

Nielsen scored a three pointer, a two pointer and a free throw for six points. Noser had a bucket and went two-of-two from the line for four points. Graham had two points and Aune added a free throw to Glasgow's 58-35 victory.

Poplar was called for 9 fouls in the first half and 11 in the second half. Glasgow had nine in the first half and six in the second, with Graham fouling out. Mann and Aune had three fouls a piece, Noser two, and Myrick and Wesby each had one.

"The games this weekend, I think, went very well. We keep improving and learning as a team each game," said Noser, team captain. "Going into this week against Sidney and Glendive is to just keep focused on working hard and doing the little things that are going to matter later down the road."

The Scotties travel to Sidney this Friday, Jan. 22. The C squad will face the Eagles at 2 p.m. at the high school, followed by JV at 3:30 p.m. and varsity at 5 p.m. On Saturday, Jan. 23, the Scotties will host the Glendive Red Devils with C squad action beginning at 1 p.m. JV will play at 2:30 p.m. followed by the varsity game at 4 p.m.