Rolla, Missouri - Katelyn Heil, a graduate from Dexter High School, had a great game the other night on the S&T Lady Miners Basketball Team in Rolla, Missouri, where they battled it out against the Missouri-St. Louis Tritons on their home court. Although the team lost to their rival in over time by a mere four points, Heil and her teammates still played a great game of basketball and proved their strength and endurance for a majority of the night to their fans and coaches.
This is the second game that the Lady Miners have lost on their home court in past week but things will hopefully be looking up for the team and players later in the week when they travel to Springfield, Illinois to play their old opponent the Prairie Stars. As the basketball season draws closer to an end, it is believable that the players are getting anxious as they enter into their final games of the year. Things will soon look up for the Lady Miners as they prepare for the Great Valley Conference Tournament that will take place early next month on March 3rd.
In the game against the Tritons, the Lady Miners lost due to multiple turnovers. The Tritons dominated the Lady Miners on their home court by receiving a total of thirty-eight points from the home team due to turnovers, while the Lady Miners only received thirteen points from their opponent.
The game was quick paced and a bit frustrating for both teams due to the turnovers and fouls. For most of the game, the home team held a strong lead but began to slip in the final quarter. In the fourth quarter with only five minutes left on the clock, the Lady Miners were above their competition with a score of 56 to 47. The Lady Miners began to lose track of the ball and the opposing team successfully scored ten straight points not allowing the Lady Miners to score at all and officially pulling ahead of the home team by only one point.
In the final seconds of the game, the Lady Miners purposely fouled an opposing player to buy some time in hope of a rebound. One out of the two shots was made and the Lady Miners got the rebound and was able to tie up the game after another foul and a number of free throws. With only one second left on the clock, the Tritons almost took the win but were called for a double dribble.
When overtime began, the home team quickly took the lead but the lead was reversed minutes later when the Tritons pulled out another five point streak by the making of two free throws and a three pointer. Heil attempted to make a three pointer but the ball circled the rim slowly. With the help of her teammate, the ball nearly went in but the attempt had failed and the Triton’s defense, quickly swooped in to get the rebound.
Heil fouled a Triton player and her team got the rebound but lost the ball in a turnover, which was their main fault earlier in the game that had cost them many points. The Tritons eventually took the win in the end. Heil made a total of five points and helped her team out tremendously during their battle against the Tritons. The Lady Miners will be playing in Springfield, Illinois on Valentine’s Day (Thursday) and will hopefully turn their season around.
The Dexter community is proud to have Heil representing them in Rolla at S&T as she plays her final year of basketball for the Lady Miners team.
