Basketball Recap: Dynamic Duo of Bailey Cole and Hannah Middendorf Lead Steeleville to Victory

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Sesser-Valier/Waltonville, Steeleville was happy to have turned things around on Thursday. They secured a 55-50 W over the New Athens Yellow Jackets. The Warriors haven't had any issues with the Yellow Jackets recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.

Hannah Middendorf

Steals

01/14/25 vs Sparta	8
01/30/25 vs New Athens	5
12/17/24 vs Dupo	3
12/12/24 @ New Athens	3
11/19/24 vs Red Bud	3
+ 8 more games

Leading Steeleville to victory were Hannah Middendorf and Bailey Cole. Middendorf almost dropped a double-double with 19 points and nine boards, while Cole dropped a double-double with 15 points and ten rebounds. Middendorf also grabbed five steals, which is notable because Steeleville is 4-1 when she posts at least three steals, but 3-14 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Rylan Reiss, who posted nine points along with six rebounds and six steals.

Steeleville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in five consecutive games.

Despite the defeat, New Athens had strong showings from Mallory Kohnen, who dropped a double-double with 16 points and ten boards, and Brooke Deterding, who dropped a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Deterding a new career-high in boards.

Steeleville's win bumped their record up to 7-15. As for New Athens, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-14.

Coincidentally, the two teams will both be playing Marissa/Coulterville the next time they take the court. New Athens will host Marissa/Coulterville at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, while Steeleville will host them at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday.