The Melrose Dutchmen were the 50-47 winner over the Upsala Cardinals when they last played one another back in January of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. Melrose took a serious blow against Upsala on Thursday, falling 80-40. The game was over by the end of the first half, with no points scored by either team from that point forward.
Leading Upsala to victory were Dakota Soltis and Brenna Graves. Soltis scored 20 points along with three steals, while Graves scored 21 points along with nine rebounds and six assists. Graves has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last five times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Hannah Heesen, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds.
Melrose's loss was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 1-5. As for Upsala, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-6.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Melrose will finish 2023 at home by hosting Litchfield at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Minnesota (Litchfield is ranked 334th, while Melrose is ranked 327th). Upsala will finish 2023 at home by hosting Benson at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.
