Ranger girls take down Lead-Deadwood, Sundance

The Hill City High School Ranger girls basketball team claimed two more victories last week. 

To start, the Rangers traveled to Lead-Deadwood High School Jan. 11 for a game against the Golddiggers. Head coach Anna Eckert said, “We had a lot of girls get playing time and each girl stepped up and did what they were asked.”

Maggie Taylor had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds against Lead-Deadwood. Meanwhile, Alaina Dean chipped in 11 points, and Lillie Ross had 10 points. The Rangers won with a final score of 65-20. 

Then, Jan. 13 the Rangers headed to Wyoming for a game against Sundance. 

“Sometimes trips like those can leave a team feeling a little slow coming into the game,” said Eckert. “I think we did a good job of playing decent basketball in the first half. They (Sundance) had a nice run in the third quarter, but we had girls that kept fighting which helped slow them down a little bit.” 

Taylor again had 18 points, and Ross had 13 points. The Rangers won 50-35. 

In practice, Eckert said, “We are focusing a lot on communication on both offense and defense right now as well as cutting down on turnovers by doing everything with a purpose.”

The Rangers played against Belle Fourche Jan. 16. Results were not available upon publication. 

Next, the Rangers will travel to Deubrook Area High School to face the Dolphins Friday, Jan. 19 at 5:15 p.m. The next day, the Rangers will head to Dakota State University Fieldhouse for a game against the Garretson Blue Dragons at 10:30 a.m.

“All of the games should be challenging,” said Eckert. 

Then, the Rangers will face the Sturgis Brown Scoopers for an away game Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m.