Bulldog seniors dominate in big win over Wrens

The Carlton Bulldog girls basketball team picked up a nice home win last Thursday by knocking off Wrenshall 83-36 behind the 26-point effort of Alaina Bennett.

“It was tough because up to that point our girls had just three practices in 11 days and two games,” said Wrens coach Daimen LaFave, referring to weather-related issues. “It was hard to expect much from the girls, given the circumstances. Now that we will be getting regular gym time, I expect us to have some more success. Carlton is a good team with nice overall team speed. They have a great senior core that know each other well.”

Carlton’s senior core, led by Bennett, is an exceptional group.

“Bennett has been our scoring leader this year, averaging nearly 18 points a game,” said Carlton coach Lucas Beireis. “She has just been consistent for us this year. Against Wrenshall, she was playing smart with her aggression; she would push the ball up the court and attack the rim or find the open player. She was seeing the court and feeling the game very well.”

The Bulldogs turned up the heat from the opening tipoff as their full-court press created numerous turnovers and allowed Carlton to build a 44-14 halftime edge.

“We pressed most of the game and that allowed for many players to get a fast break opportunity,” Beireis said. “Otherwise, I play nine girls a game typically and we have multiple girls in the scoring column.”

That was exactly the case again on Thursday as the Bulldogs had nine different players score against the Wrens. Joining Bennett in double digits were Abby Mickle with 15 points and Kaylee Asleson, who had 12 points. Both Brynne Mickle and Elizabeth Hey finished with eight points; Sam Matarelli added six points, Maddie DeCaigney recorded four points and both Nicole Nilsen and Bella Anderson had two points apiece for the winners.

“I have three girls that can score in three different ways,” Beireis said. “Kaylee is our purest shooter on the team; I can typically rely on her getting two 3-pointers a game. Abby Mickle just is a high-energy player: she will get offensive rebounds and second-chance points, and she has an extremely quick first step and uses it well to get to the rim. And Bennett is our do-everything player; she will post up and play the wing. Her goal in our games is to find the mismatch and take advantage of it.”

On the other side of the floor, the Wrens had a star of their own in Hailey Tauzell. The junior forward scored 21 of the Wrens’ 36 points and gave the Bulldogs trouble most of the night.

“Hailey is a fighter and a leader on the floor for us,” said Wrens coach LaFave. “She has the ability to take control of the game when needed.”

Coach Beireis also enjoyed watching Tauzell from the opposite side of the coaching circle.

“She has been a good player for them for the three years I have been here,” said Beireis of Tauzell. “She is a good player, and is very good at getting to the hoop and finishing. As a team we knew she was going to try and drive through the lane; we just had to stop her, but we were unable to.”

Unfortunately for the Wrens, they were unable to match the depth and the point production of the Bulldogs. Taylor Bryce had a solid game for Wrenshall with eight points, and Samantha Nyberg scored four. Ashley Hart added two points and Janae Sjodin added a single point for the Wrens.