Buffs playing best season in eight years, look at recent success

Against the Battlers, the Buffs shot 14-of-52 (26.9 percent) overall, 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) behind the arc and 9-of-16 (56.2 percent) from the free-throw line. Junior guard Mattie Duffy led the way with 14 points while sophomore guard Morgan Hoffman added 10.

Versus the Raiders, Stanley County finished shooting 13-of-51 (25.5 percent) overall, 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from three-point range and 9-of-18 (50 percent) at the charity stripe. Duffy scored a team-high 15 points, including four three-pointers. Senior forward Kori Gabriel pitched in with eight points and Hoffman with seven.

“We are getting better. That's a big thing,” head coach Keely Bracelin said after Thursday’s loss. “It's the second time in-a-row we've been consistently scoring a little bit more, and we need to continue that and we need to find a way to score even more. Again, some of these tougher teams that we've played, at times, we struggled with doing the little things of just boxing out and rebounding. And Lyman got second chances. That kind of hurt us.”

Bracelin added that the Buffs struggled with their help-defense in the first half but noticed improvement in the final two periods.

Despite back-to-back losses, Bracelin’s squad has made vast improvements in their last seven games, where they’ve gone 4-3 in that stretch, including three-straight wins. They’ve already surpassed last year’s win total of three games.

Counting their 48-44 victory over Herreid-Selby Area on Dec. 30, the Buffs have averaged 42.6 points per game, including a season-high 49 in a win versus McLaughlin on Jan. 5, and a loss margin of 15 points.

To compare, during its 0-5 start to the season, Stanley County scored just 24.4 points per game, including a season-low 15 in a defeat against Winner on Dec. 29, and its loss margin was nearly doubled at 29 points.

“These girls have put in a lot of work, and I think they are starting to realize that this is a sport that they can be successful in,” Bracelin said. “And the winning streak is something they haven't had since 2008-09. And so, we make little goals, and we try to be better than the year before. We've hit that mark, and now we can't settle. We got to keep moving forward.”

When asked what’s changed for the Buffs since grabbing their first win against the Wolverines on the road, Bracelin answered with one word — confidence.

“Knowing that they can battle with anyone that they play, I think that's the biggest thing,” she continued. “They're realizing that they can score, and they can put the ball in the basket and they can hang with some teams.”

Hoffman gave a different perspective on why her team has garnered so much success as of late.

“I think in the beginning, we were struggling because we came off losing our few seniors that played a huge role last year,” she said. “And we just had to get to play with each other and get to read each other better and realize that we can do it without them. And as soon as we saw that, we were able to just run with it.”

Stanley County’s fourth win came against Philip on Monday, where the Buffs squeaked by the Scotties, 33-31. Junior forward Cadence Hand led her team that night with 11 points, and her teammates dominated on the glass.

Three Buffs finished with double-digit rebounds — Gabriel (13), Duffy (10) and Hoffman (10).

Hoffman explained the team’s reaction to garnering their best win total since 2014-15 with still eight games left in the regular season.

“It was just super exciting. Everybody was pumped, confident (and) feeling it,” she said. “We haven't done this well in a very long time. Last year, we thought we were doing amazing, and now we're just getting started.”

Hoffman added that Stanley County’s “spirits are still high” even after the Potter County and Lyman losses.

Duffy has noticed a different and improved synergy between one another.

“The beginning of the season, we believed, (but) we just weren't converting. So that kind of shot our confidence,” she said. “And then after beating a solid Herreid-Selby team, we gained a lot of confidence, and we play together as a team. And even just like the vibe before the game, in the locker room afterwards, it's completely different. We're more hype and supportive of each other now.”

Duffy’s also seen a change in her shooting. She said her confidence as a shooter really grew after scoring a season-high 21 points versus the Wolverines, including four three-pointers.

“It makes such a difference,” Duffy added. “At the beginning of the season, I wasn't that confident. But after we've won a couple of big games, we've all gained more confidence. And it just helps us take those open shots and believe they're gonna go in, even if they don't.”

She said the Buffs have received encouragement and support from the community, adding to their confidence.

Opponents could think Stanley County is done winning, but they might want to reconsider.

“We're definitely not done yet. We're gonna keep pushing for more wins,” Duffy said. “I think every game is an opportunity. And if we go play our best game, we can win any game that we have left. So we just have to do the little things.”

Before the season began, Stanley County’s goal was to tally five-to-ten wins. And with that objective now within arms reach, the Buffs have a new mark in mind. Duffy said they hope to finish in the top-half of their region.

In the current Class 6A standings, Stanley County (4-8) sits in sixth place while Crow Creek (5-3) holds the fourth spot.

“(Thursday), we talked about it, how none of the wins we're gonna get are easy, and we have to go fight every day for wins," Duffy said. "Because if we don't go out there and work hard, we're not going to get them with our schedule. We play some tough teams. So we just have to go out there and work hard to get everywhere.”

The Buffs will take a few days off and then resume action against Sully Buttes (7-0) on Jan. 19 at Parkview Gym at 6:30 p.m.

Bracelin shared what changes her team will make on both sides of the court during the break.

“We have to make some adjustments on some things, defensively. I think once we try out some new things and keep working on it, on the defensive end, it'll become a lot more natural,” she said. “Offensively, we're just gonna keep finding new ways to score. I like that I have a break coming up because I can start adding some different things where a lot of the teams that were playing don't have that opportunity. So we'll just keep making adjustments where we see fit.”