DHS girls stymied by Legacy: Midgets offense slowed in loss to Sabers

"It got away pretty early from us," Dickinson head coach James Hayden said. "Their defensive intensity, it was great. They were up in our face the entire game and really slowed us down offensively. Hats off to Legacy, they come out and executed their game plan really well.

"We got some decent looks, they just weren't falling and their pressure probably had a large part to do with that."

Legacy imposed their will defensively from the outset, forcing primarily outside shots by collapsing and closing off driving lanes. Playing a mixture of man and zone defense, Legacy defenders converged with traps and double teams on the baseline corners and near mid-court.

Through the first seven minutes, the Midgets only mustered four points following a putback and a pair of free throws from sophomore forward Audrey Rodakowski.

"This was a game where we were looking to set the tempo early on and I thought our kids did that," Bismarck Legacy head coach Jim Petrik said. "I thought we played with a lot of energy. We talked this week about creating our own energy, especially on the road. Our first couple of shots fell too, which seem to give us some confidence on the offensive end."

Legacy sprinted out to a 20-4 advantage midway through the first half. Junior guard Taryn Allmaras and sophomore forward Alexis Dressler each nailed 3-pointers as part of a 14-0 surge, before Dickinson began showing signs of life.

A jumper from Midget senior forward Kelsey Privratsky, a pick and roll from junior guard Gabby Jung to Rodakowski and a pair of Jung steals led to layups, capping an 8-0 Dickinson run.

The Sabers immediately responded with a 13-0 run of their own.

The Midgets were outrebounded 37-32, including 10 snatched off of the offensive glass.

"I think the story tonight was on the defensive end for us," Hayden said. "Our help side wasn't really there. Our rebounding wasn't good enough. They got a lot of offensive rebounds and second chance opportunities and I think in the long run, that hurt us the most."

Legacy carried a 42-19 lead in the locker room on 47 percent shooting in the first half, collecting nearly twice as many field goal attempts (34-18) while allowing just seven made field goals.

Rodakowski led Dickinson with 16 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Peyton Selle added 13 points for the Midgets.

Allmaras led Legacy with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. Thomas and Dressler each added 14 points as the Sabers snapped a four-game losing streak.

"Defensively, that was our goal to come out and defend on the road," Petrik said. "Selle and Jung are some pretty big threats and I thought we did a pretty good job limiting their touches. You win come tournament time with defense and I thought this was a good game to bounce back and win with our defense.

Bismarck Legacy 82, Dickinson High 53

BL: Taryn Allmaras 22, Whitney Thomas 14, Alexis Dressler 14, Ashley Hulm 10, Ashton Sagaser 7, Arianna Berryhill 6, Maggie Woodbury 3, Kailey Weigel 2, Macee Van Vleet 2, Sydney Dollinger 2.

D: Audrey Rodakowski 16, Peyton Selle 13, Gabby Jung 10. Marley McChesney 4, McKenna Weiler 3, Lauren Jorda 3, Kelsey Privratsky 2, Kendryn Bullinger 2.

Halftime: BL 42, D 19. 3-pointers: BL 6 (Dressler 2, Allmaras 2), D 2 (Weiler 1, Jorda 1). Free throws: BL 8-14, D 11-21. Total fouls: BL 22, D 13. Fouled out: 1. BL: Allmaras). Rebounds: BL 37 (Allmaras 10), D 32 (Rodakowski 7). Assists: BL 4 (Berryhill 2), D 3 (Jung 2). Steals: BL 11 (Berryhill 4), D 7 (Bullinger 2, Jung 2). Blocks: BL 0, D 0.Turnovers: BL 12, D 19. Records: BL 6-9 (West Region 5-7), D 6-10 (West Region 5-9).