Lady Rustlers strike back after losing streak

After a losing streak the lady Rustlers rallied back with two wins; one against Little Big Horn College and the other against Miles Community College Jan. 8-9.

The lady Rustlers dominated the court against Little Big Horn College, 104-25. With 20 points Taij Criss-Felton led the team for double figures with teammate Kyla Paulus just one point behind with 19. Olivia Elliss scored 15 points and Heather Townsend and Olivia Thompson both scored ten points each.

“We had five kids in double digits and played well defensively,” said head coach Serol Stauffenberg. “LBH only had six players dressed so they had a difficult time. LBH played hard, but they were just undermanned.”

The Rustlers were unstoppable sinking 16-23 free throws with Elliss being top contributor, hitting five out of six. The ladies finished with 55.8 percent from the field.

The Rustlers logged 13 assists and 19 steals during the contest. The team carried the advantage on the boards with 99 rebounds to Little Big Horn’s 22.

It was a tight game against Miles Community College for the Rustlers the next day. The Rustlers trailed by three points in the first half, 23-26 but rallied past MCC in the second half going in for a tight win, 53-50.

“This was a great road win for us,” Coach Stauffenberg said. “We jumped to an early lead with the help of our defense and it was our defense that got key stops at the end that led to victory.”

Paulus not only led the team with three treys but also led a trio in double digits with 19 points; Elliss and Thompson added 17 and 10 points respectively.

The lady Rustlers marked their percentage up for free throws during the contest and finished with 71.4 percent.

“This is a fantastic start to the conference season for coach Stauffenberg and his team,” said Steve Barlow, athletic director. “It’s an accomplishment anytime you collect two wins on the road in Region IX and we played well in doing so. The first game against Little Big Horn was an impressive offensive showing by everyone followed by a great defensive effort against a good Miles Community College team. We are looking forward to continuing this momentum forward against two very good teams this week in Gillette and Casper.”

The men’s and women’s basketball teams will play on their home court this Thursday, Jan. 14 against Gillette College. The lady Rustlers will play at 5:30 pm followed by the men at 7:30 pm.