MONMOUTH — The Monmouth girls’ basketball team probably didn’t need any extra motivation Saturday night.
The Mustangs were coming off a disappointing one-point loss against Madison earlier in the week. That game came right down to the wire before the Bulldogs hand Monmouth its first loss of the season.
With hopes of bouncing back from that frustration, Monmouth hosted a Dirigo club that eliminated Monmouth from the Western C tournament last year. That provided the Mustangs a little extra incentive.
“I think it was really important because the loss against Madison was really tough,” sophomore guard Tia Day said. “We all wanted to come back with a win and Dirigo kicked us out of the playoffs last year. So it was the perfect team to beat.”
Monmouth rebounded and got a little taste of revenge in the process with a 54-45 win.
The Mustangs (4-1) broke open a tie game in the second quarter with 10 straight points and rode a fine defensive effort in the win over a Dirigo team that eventually lost in the regional final last year.
“The first three quarters, that’s probably the best basketball we’ve played this year,” Monmouth coach Scott Wing said. “So we’re putting it all together defensively and we’re shooting the ball.”
Day led the Mustangs with 15 points while Haley West had 12 points and 13 rebounds, including 10 in the first half. Abbey Allen finished with 10 points, while Sidney Wilson, playing her first real full game since battling an injury, added seven points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals.
“Dirigo’s a good team,” Day said. “I think it brings our confidence up that we’re a good team, too.”
Dirigo (3-3) got a superb effort from Sabrina Daoud, who had 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals. Emma Lueders added 13 while Lauren Henderson chipped in seven.
“She’s all over the place,” said Dirigo coach Karen Magnusson about Daoud. “She’s tough. She’s got long arms. She plays very physical. She’s a guard that wants to go up against post players. She’s definitely a special player.”
With the game tied 11-11, Monmouth broke the lead open with its 10-point surge to start the second quarter. Day led that attack with seven points in the quarter while West had five.
“Last season, we were a pretty good shooting team,” Day said. “This season, so far, we haven’t been very good at all. So we finally hit some shots this game. That helps bring up our confidence to keep shooting.”
West sparked the run with a 3 to start the quarter. Hannah Anderson scored in the post and West followed with a drive. Day drilled a 3 to make it 21-11. Dirigo’s first basket came from Lueders with 4:44 left in the half, but Monmouth followed that with a 10-3 spurt that made it 31-16. Day scored twice while Allen had a pair of baskets. Emily Grandahl also scored, and Monmouth took a 31-18 lead into the half.
“The thing with this team is we’re not hitting back when the other team is getting us on a run,” Magnusson said. “That’s the biggest difference. We’re talented enough to be playing with these team, but when they make that run, we haven’t been able to counter. That’s the difference in the game.”
Monmouth maintain the lead in the third. Allen and West each had four points, while Grandahl, Anderson and Wilson added baskets. Though Daoud had 10 points in the third, Dirigo was down 45-33 entering the fourth.
The Cougars still made a run late in the game. Dirigo ran off 10 straight of its own in the fourth quarter and got as close as 51-45 after a Lueders drive in the final minute. Wilson sealed the win with a two sets of free throws. Lueders and Daoud both scored four points to lead the Cougars rally in the fourth.
“The second quarter killed us but after that, I was proud how our second half went,” Magnusson said. “That’s something to come away with.”
Though Dirigo played with its greatest intensity in the final minutes, Monmouth was able to play with some composure and finish off the win.
“We’re still a young team and that fourth quarter, that’s a learning experience,” Wing said. “They have to understand that we’re not looking to score. We’re looking to score, but with selective shots. That’s part of the learning experience.”
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