Even though the Niobrara/Verdigre Cougars scored an imposing 58 points on Saturday, the Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] Bobcats still came out on top. Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] slipped by Niobrara/Verdigre 59-58. For Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard], this counts as revenge for the 57-53 defeat Niobrara/Verdigre walked away with the last time they faced one another back in December of 2023.
Adyson Mlnarik was her usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double on 39 points and nine rebounds. That makes it six consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard]'s points. Lydia Robertson was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds.
Despite the loss, Niobrara/Verdigre still got an impressive performance from Josilyn Miller, who almost dropped a double-double on 30 points and nine rebounds. Miller is crushing the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Bella Boyd, who scored seven points.
Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard]'s victory bumped their record up to 15-4. As for Niobrara/Verdigre, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 13-6.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against Elgin/Pope John at 5:00 p.m. on February 8th. Elgin/Pope John is on a five-game streak of home wins, Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] a seven-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court. As for Niobrara/Verdigre, they will head out on the road to square off against North Central at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Niobrara/Verdigre knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past five matches -- so hopefully North Central likes a good challenge.
