Lady Dogies continue their winning streak

The Lady Dogies played two dominant road basketball games last week as they defeated the Wright Lady Panthers at their house on Thursday 60-25, then bested the Lady Ranchers of Harding County in the Sacred Hoops Classic Tournament at Rapid City Christian High School on Saturday by a score of 57-35.
“It was good to have two games pretty much back to back to try to get things flowing a little bit,” stated head coach Chad Ostenson. “We played pretty well, but we also found some things we need to work on, so hopefully these games will get us ready to get quadrant play started this week.”
It took the Lady Dogies a little bit to get going in their contest against Wright on Thursday. The rims in the Lady Panther’s gym were a little tight for Newcastle, giving them only a 12-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
However, the squad blew things open in the second quarter by going on a 17-0 run to finish the half up 29-6.
“It just seemed like we were a little off, so we threw our 1-3-1 on them a couple of times just to get the girls going,” Ostenson explained. “When we play defense like we are capable of playing, we are pretty tough. Not only did we keep them from scoring, but we turned that defense into offense.”
The Lady Dogies put on another offensive clinic in the third quarter, out-scoring Wright 24-8, and by doing so pulled ahead by 40 points, instituting the mercy rule with about two minutes to play in the third.
With a dominant lead and a running clock, the starters took a seat for the fourth quarter and the JV finished out the 60-25 win.
Newcastle ended the contest with three players in double figures. Jaylen Ostenson led the team with 22 points, Hunter McFarland had 12, while Shelby Tidyman was close behind with 11 points. Sydney Pederson added 7 points, MacKenzie Conzelman 4 and Oakley Checketts and Jayde Harrington each pitched in 2 points apiece.
On Saturday, the squad headed to Rapid City Christian High School to take on the Harding County Lady Ranchers in the Sacred Hoops Classic Tournament.
Once again, Newcastle held their opponent to only 6 points in the first quarter, but the Lady Dogies had a much better start to their game than they did on Thursday as they poured in 19 points to end the first up 19-6. In the second quarter, they out-scored the Lady Ranchers 20-5 to take the 39-11 lead into the locker room.
“We shot really well against Harding County and we were longer, taller, bigger and much more experienced than they were,” Ostenson described. “However, they were scrappy and physical so that was good, especially heading into a week where we play Buffalo, who are going to be physical.”
Dogie fans also got to see the welcome return of Mack the Gun, as MacKenzie Conzelman returned to her impressive three-point shooting ways, draining 5-9 attempts from beyond the arc, including three in a row in the third quarter.
“It was fun to see Mack back on her game. She was thinking too much, but a shooter’s gotta shoot,” Ostenson said. “She just relaxed and let her muscle memory take over, and good things happened.”
Halfway through the third quarter, Newcastle led by 30, which is the mercy rule in South Dakota, so a running clock was instituted for the remainder of the game. Once again, starters chilled out on the bench during the fourth quarter and the Lady Ranchers went on a 15-0 run to finish the contest. 
“Everyone got plenty of time on the floor in both of our games last week,” Ostenson said. “It was great for our younger kids to get that time on the court in a real game situation.”
Like on Thursday, the Lady Dogies had three players in double figures. Conzelman was the leading scorer, finishing with 19 points, Jaylen Ostenson put up a double-double dropping in 17 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, and Tidyman threw in 12 points. Harrington added 5 while McFarland and Checketts chipped in 2 points each. 
Another big positive from the week was that shooting was back where the Lady Dogies usually hang over both games. The team shot 39 and 40 percent from three and were at 57 and 58 percent efficiency against Wright and Harding County, respectively.
This week will be a huge test for the No. 4-ranked Lady Dogies as they open up quadrant play against Moorcroft and Buffalo.
“I think Buffalo is one of the best teams in the state, and they are currently ranked number two behind Douglas who narrowly defeated them last week by 8 points,” Ostenson acknowledged. “We will have to play every possession this week, especially against Buffalo. They are tough and athletic as usual, and bring back a lot of talent from last season. But if we play like we’re capable, I like our chances.”
Newcastle varsity will tip off against the Lady Wolves in the Dogie Dome on Friday at 5:30, then will travel to Buffalo to take on the Lady Bison at 1:30 on Saturday.