Rangers suffer two-game set-back

It was a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows as the Ranger girls basketball team battled the St. Thomas More (STM) Cavaliers last Tuesday night on the road.

The game started at a fast pace, resulting in numerous turnovers on both ends. A Ranger foul sent STM to the free throw line for the first points of the game—the only ones scored until the five-minute mark. From there, the Cavaliers went on a run, knocking down a long three, following it with a jumper, and earning a trip to the free throw line, seizing both the lead and the momentum as they continued to protect it.

Daril Frandsen led the Rangers offensive charge and was the only Ranger to score in the first quarter, with a fast-break layup, followed by a pull-up shot just inside the three-point line. The Rangers trailed by eight going into the second quarter.

STM opened the second with a three-point shot by seventh grader Emma Crawford, fresh off the bench. Crawford proved to be a force as she went on to score nine points in the first half for the Cavaliers.

Hill City displayed an improved offensive effort in the second, with team-high 17 points, capped by a Frandsen half court buzzer beater to cut the Cavalier’s double-digit lead to nine, ending the half 30-21.

The Rangers came out with a new energy in the third, with a strong effort on both ends of the court. Frandsen made up some ground with a well-timed jump shot, followed by a pair of free-throws to whittle the STM lead down to five around the six-minute mark. 

Despite the effort, the Cavaliers were able to shut down the Ranger run and continued to extend their lead through the fourth quarter, finishing 56-39. 

Ranger head coach Anna Eckert acknowledged STM coach, Brandon Kandolin for running his team like “a well-oiled machine.”

“They play consistent and meticulously, and we struggled to disrupt their flow,” said Eckert. “I saw times when we were able to disrupt them, and that’s when we went on our runs.” 

“We struggled to play our game consistently and it felt like we were playing catch-up the entire 32 minutes,” said Eckert. “We will have to find our competitive edge going through the rest of the season, once we do that, I think we could surprise a few teams.”

The team was led by Frandsen with 11 points for the Rangers, followed by Naiya Ginsbach with nine and Andee Frandsen with seven. 

Saturday, the Rangers hosted the undefeated Harding County Ranchers, hoping to break their streak and improve Hill City’s record after the tough loss to STM. The game was a nail-biter and came down to the wire.

“Harding County is a scrappy team, and they consistently play hard. It was a good match-up for our girls,” said Eckert.

The Rangers won the opening tip but couldn’t convert, as Harding County secured the defensive rebound, pushed the pace, and knocked down a three within the first 30 seconds—one of four shots from beyond the arc they would hit in the first half.

Lillie Ham opened the scoring for the Rangers by grabbing her own rebound and finishing with a put-back, drawing the foul and sinking the plus-one, tying the score.

Demi Schrier grabbed a rebound and hit Alaina Dean on the run for a fast break finish to put the Rangers in the lead. 

On the following Rancher possession, Harding County’s Sattyn Wilson attacked the basket and drew a whistle that many in the Hill City crowd believed should have been a charge for Dean, who went down on the play. Instead, Dean was issued a warning for flopping, a decision that did not sit well with the home fans.

The score remained tight for the remainder of the quarter with Schrier completing a three-point play, Ham scoring on a put-back, Macy Ham finishing for two inside and Kinsey Dillavou adding a pair from the line. Despite the effort, the Rangers went into the second quarter trailing 16–14.

Harding County opened the second quarter with increased intensity on both ends, stringing together a seven-point run that included a shot from beyond the arc and three straight steals off a full-court press, converting two into points and running up the score 23-14.

Dean broke the Rangers silence with a finger-roll layup followed by a Ginsbach drive to the basket and a M. Ham put-back to bring the Rangers back to a one-point possession.

The Rangers sent Harding County to the free-throw line, followed by a Rancher field goal to push the score to 26–20. D. Frandsen answered with a drive for two, but a shooting foul sent the Ranchers back to the stripe, where they went one-for-two, sending the Rangers into halftime trailing by five.

The third quarter allowed the Ranchers to extend their lead to double digits for the first time of the game. A pair of Ginsbach three-pointers, a pair of baskets by the Ham sisters and an A. Frandsen put-back helped the Rangers stay withing range, trailing by seven heading into the final period.

The final quarter was fast-paced combination of well-executed plays and a slew of sloppy turnovers on both ends of the court. With 2:33 left in the game, Hill City called a time-out, down by five. L. Ham was fouled during a three-point attempt and went to the line, missing her first and sinking the next two. Her sister Macy was fouled pulling down a rebound a went 50 percent from the line, bringing the Rangers within one possession. 

Harding County called a timeout with 1:19 remaining, but the ensuing play backfired as Dean came up with a steal and finished at the rim to tie the game. After a series of free throws by both teams, a Harding County layup, and a Ranger turnover followed by a foul, Rancher Kamry Padden went to the line and hit one of two, giving Harding County a 53–49 lead with under a minute to play.

With a well-executed time-out play, Ginsbach hit a three to bring the Rangers within one possession. A clock-stopping foul sent the Ranchers Macey Wendt to the line, sinking both and giving Harding County the three-point advantage with just seconds left in the game.

The Rangers called a final timeout to set up a last-ditch play, but it fell short as time ran out, allowing the Ranchers to remain undefeated and dropping Hill City to an even .500 record. 

“It was encouraging to see that our girls never gave up and played with a little more grit than they have in the past,” said Eckert. “We were down by 12 nearing the end of the third quarter and were able to keep fighting to go up by one towards the end of the fourth.”

“We couldn’t get the win, but you want to be in these close situations in the beginning of your season in order to learn and grow,” Eckert said. “If we can understand these are great opportunities that will help us in tough games at the end of the season, I think we can be where want come February.”

L. Ham led the offensive effort for the Rangers with 13 points, followed by her sister Macy and Ginsbach with 11 each. 

The Rangers played Rapid City Christian on Tuesday on the road. Results were not available upon publication.