A 69-35 Milford girls’ basketball win over Silver Lake Dec. 30 set up a battle of unbeatens in the Lincoln Christian holiday tournament Dec. 31.
“It’s been on our calendars for awhile – two unbeaten, ranked teams, a returning state champion,” Milford Coach Bryce Roth said.
The game came down to the final seconds. An Izzy Yeackley three-pointer tied the score at 65-65 with 1:07 to play. It was 67-67 with 35.2 seconds on the clock.
“We needed one stop,” Roth said.
The Eagles almost got it. The rebound on a missed LC shot was tipped to one of the Crusaders, who made the short shot for the lead with just 5.9 seconds to go.
Milford took the inbounds pass and had a good look at the buzzer, but the shot was just short, handing the Eagles their first loss 69-67.
“These were two really good teams. We knew it would be very competitive,” Roth said. “I thought we responded and stepped up. We were amped up, but we stayed in the moment well.”
One of the challenges with Lincoln Christian is that they have so many different players who can make plays, Roth said.
Milford does, too, however. Both Yeackley and Taylor Oldfield connected on five three-pointers each. Ayla Roth added 13 points and Ashlynn Miller 12.
Coach Roth was pleased to see Milford only commit 11 turnovers against the Crusader defense.
Milford opened the tournament with the win over Silver Lake. Coach Roth said you never know what to expect coming off the moratorium, and he was pleased to see the Eagles focused from the opening tip.
“I thought we did a really good job defending them and eliminating good looks,” he said.
Ayla Roth finished with 17 points, with Yeackley scoring 15 and Oldfield 13. Shayla Rautenberg recorded 12 rebounds.
The Eagles finished the week at North Bend Central and defeated the Tigers 66-54.
“It’s a tough place to play,” Coach Roth said.
Milford got off to a good start, leading 17-11 after the first quarter and 26-19 at halftime. Coach Roth said every time Milford was ready to put NBC away, the Tigers made plays.
“It never was comfy,” he said. “We didn’t get into a rhythm.”
Ayla Roth scored 25 points to lead Milford. Miller added 15 points and eight rebounds.
Milford (7-1) is set to visit Malcolm Thursday, Jan. 9, and host David City Saturday, Jan. 11, at 3 p.m.
Malcolm is another rival for the Eagles, Coach Roth said. David City has everyone back from last season.
“We know we have to get back to work,” he said. “We need to stay humble and hungry and grow as a team.”
