Wildcats continue to cruise with DC wins

After four games, no team has been able to do much to slow the Blair-Taylor girls basketball team down as the Wildcats picked up two more lopsided wins last week. 

B-T took big leads early in both games as they beat Melrose-Mindoro, 81-45, last week Tuesday and Eleva-Strum, 66-22, on Friday with both games coming on the road. 

The wins improved B-T’s record to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in Dairyland Conference play. That was before Tuesday’s home game against Whitehall. They could have a tough test on Friday when Cochrane-Fountain City comes to town. The Pirates are seen as the top contender in the DC. B-T plays again on Saturday, going to De Soto.

Blair-Taylor 81 M-M 45

The Wildcats scored 31 points in the first nine minutes of the game and remained in control.

Seniors Abby Thompson and Lindsay Steien were on fire early as both scored 12 points in the first nine minutes. Thompson knocked down a couple of three pointers, while most of Steien’s points came at the basket. The Wildcats also got a three pointer from Kierstyn Kindschy as they opened with a 31-6 advantage at the midpoint of the first half.

B-T slowed down, scoring 20 points the rest of the half but they still took a 31-point lead into halftime.

The Wildcats were in cruise control from there as they didn’t let the Mustangs get any closer, winning by 36.

This was the third time B-T scored 80 points in a game this season. In all three games they’ve struggled shooting free throws and three pointers as they were six-for-16 from the charity stripe and three-for-15 from three against the Mustangs. 

Steien had a season-high 32 points while adding nine rebounds, seven assists and seven steals. Thompson also filled the box score, scoring 22 points with seven assists, six rebounds and five steals. The rest of the scoring output was balanced as Kindschy was third on the team with seven points and Lydia Frederixon scored six. 

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points) — Thompson 10/17-0/0-6-0-22 Butterfield 1/2-0/1-1-0-2 M. Frederixon 0/1-0/0-0-0-0 Kidd 2/9-0/0-7-0-4 L. Frederixon 3/6-0/2-4-0-6 Steien 14/26-4/5-9-2-32 Waldera 2/3-0/1-2-0-4 Wagner 1/5-0/3-6-2-2 Kindschy 2/9-2/4-8-3-7 Fremstad 0/3-0/0-6-4-0 Lofgren 1/2-0/0-6-5-2

Blair-Taylor 66 E-S 22

B-T blanked E-S 18-0 in the first nine minutes as they controlled the game throughout.

Thompson and Steien both had six points in the first nine minutes as B-T opened with an 18-0 lead. The Cardinals got on the board before halftime, but only scored nine points while B-T was just getting warmed up. Steien scored 13 points in the final nine minutes in the half – 19 total in the first half – as the Wildcats took a 44-9 lead into halftime. 

Steien continued her tear in the second half, scoring 10 points early before reserves came in to finish off the lopsided B-T win. The B-T senior finished with a game-high 30 points.

Kindschy connected on three shots from beyond the arc as she was second on the team with 13 points. Thompson scored nine and Sydney Fremstad added eight with a team-best nine rebounds. 

The Wildcats shot five-for-20 on three pointers and 11-for-20 from the free-throw line. 

B-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points) — Thompson 4/11-0/0-6-2-9 Butterfield 1/3-0/0-0-1-2 M. Frederixon 0/0-0/0-2-0-0 Kidd 1/2-0/0-1-1-2 L. Frederixon 0/2-0/0-3-2-0 Steien 12/21-5/6-4-4-30 Waldera 0/0-0/1-1-0-0 Wagner 1/1-0/1-2-2-2 Kindschy 4/12-2/2-0-1-13 Fremstad 2/8-4/8-9-5-8 Lofgren 0/2-0/2-3-2-0