REGION 5A: TRAPPERS CLOSE BOOK ON SOLID FIRST SEASON

Scotland/Menno wins seven of final nine, including Region 5A battle against Bon Homme; Schlimgen says the standard has now been set

Head coach Todd Schlimgen had said it repeatedly over the course of the past three-plus months: For the new Scotland/Menno girls basketball team, this will be, is, and has been, a season of firsts.

A first win on Dec. 10.

A first loss two nights later.

A first buzzer-beater on Feb. 11.

A first single-digit loss to a formidable team — Viborg-Hurley — on Feb. 18.

And, just last week, two other firsts:

A first win in the postseason — a 49-42 victory over Bon Homme in Region 5A play Tuesday, Feb. 25 — and then a first hold-you-head-up-high-and-don’t-quit effort two nights later in a tough 50-18 loss to Mount Vernon-Plankinton.

That’s a lot of firsts in what was largely a successful first season of Trappers girls basketball — not just because of a strong finish in which Scotland/Menno won seven of its last nine, but because of a positive culture around a first-year program.

“Wins are fun, but even without those, it was great working with a really good group of kids,” said Schlimgen. “Coachable. Good work ethic. Came to practice every day wanting to get better. And it was rewarding for them to see that hard work pays off.”

But it wasn’t always easy.

After winning their first two of three, the Trappers lost nine of their next 10, most of them by more than 20 points against teams with strong winning records. It was a hard go during a challenging stretch of games, but Schlimgen is proud of how his players responded.

“It was a battle; January was hard,” said the coach. “We had a lot of really, really tough games, but I kept telling them that it’s not who we are playing that matters, it’s how we are playing that matters. There are always things we need to get better at, and playing good teams really exposes your weakness. But it’s never as good or as bad as it seems, and we were doing good things and we worked to string together good moments. Credit to the kids for hanging in there and keeping their heads above water in those tough times.”

And then, once the scheduled eased up in terms of competition, the Trappers started winning. But it wasn’t that they were just winning; they were winning close games. For two programs that, in recent years, have had a difficult time finding ways to win, Schlimgen says that is an important note.

From Feb. 6 through Feb. 15, Scotland/Menno rattled off five in a row, all by single digits, including a 46-45 victory on Feb. 7 over Irene-Wakonda on a free throw by Emily Dvorak, and a 45-43 win over Canistota on a last-second, off balance field goal by Dvorak on Feb. 11.

“A couple of times in those close games, I would tell them to just breathe,” Schlimgen says. “To focus on their ability and to execute. You can overcome some things in practice, but to do that in a game is a different animal. It was cool to see them perform in tough situations and motivating for the kids. It allowed us to keep improving.”

Final stretch

Scotland/Menno ended up winning six of its last seven games and nabbed a No. 3 seed in Region 5A play. That paired the Trappers with No. 6 Bon Homme last Tuesday night, Feb. 25 in Menno, and while the Cavaliers gave the home team a game, like they had done throughout the second half of the season, the Trappers found a way to pull out a win to the tune of 49-42 and send Bon Homme packing with a final record of 6-15.

While the pressure to execute was on, Schlimgen reminded his team that “pressure is a privilege” and that “we’ve earned this by having a nice regular season.”

The coach acknowledges good crowds on both sides of the court and what was a fun atmosphere.

“It was exactly what you hope for in postseason basketball,” he said, noting the turnover count made the difference. Scotland/Menno had a season-low 10 while the Trappers forced the Cavaliers into 20.

“They probably wish they would have turned the ball over less, and we wish we would have shot better,” Schlimgen said, a reference to the team’s 28% field goal and 53% free-throw shooting. “But it was a fun game. Both teams played hard.”

The Trappers’ win last Tuesday put them in a showdown with No. 2 Mount Vernon/Plankinton in Plankinton with a trip to the SoDak 16 on the line, and the Titans showed why they were a 17-4 team.

MVP held SM scoreless in the first period while putting up 23 of their own and held a 35-2 advantage at the half.

Schlimgen said the Titans taking advantage of transition basketball off turnovers — the Trappers had 23 for the game — hurt his team, and there wasn’t much to say in the locker room at halftime, other than what he had been preaching all year.

“I told them that this was a year of firsts and we had a chance to set a precedent all year long — that everything we did was brand new,” he said. “So are we going to compete for 16 more minutes or are we going to lay over? And I was really proud of our kids for being in that situation and responding to that situation.”

MVP probably took some pressure off, he admits, but the Trappers were winning possessions, “and we won the second half by one point.”

And while the 50-18 final score in the final game of the season might look like it stings, that would be the furthest from the case. And the final season record of 10-12 might be below .500, but that’s not what this season was about.

Now we know the standards — not wins and losses — but how we want to compete so we can continue to get better,” Schlimgen said. “Hopefully that sets us up for consistency going forward.”

The Trappers will lose six seniors to graduation — Ellyana Ulmer, Nora Robb, Grace Vitek, Kyliah Bjorum, Trinity Bietz and Emily Dvorak — and Schlimgen gives all of them credit for their leadership on a number of levels, including a willingness to leave their old Highlanders and Wolves teams behind in their final year of competition.

“They could have pout about it, not having their own teams, but I was proud of how all of them handled everything,” he said. “They played in big rolls, supporting rolls and were great teammates. I had no issues personality-wise or anything like that. Honestly as a coach, it’s really refreshing to come in with a group of kids wanting to get better.”

And he expects that to continue.

Schlemgin notes the Trappers will return players who saw good varsity minutes and a JV team that finished with a winning record at 10-9.

“That maybe isn’t outstanding, but it sets our program up for consistency,” he says. “Our standards are we want to come to practice, compete as hard and often as we can, and get better. And I think this year’s team did a great job of doing that.”

Trappers 49, Bon Homme 42

Lexie McNinch: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Trinity Bietz: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists; Ellyana Ulmer: 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal; Emily Dvorak: 8 points, 4 rebounds; Kailin Odens: 3 points, 4 rebounds; Kyliah Bjorum: 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal; Nora Robb: 1 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals; Kylie Guthmiller: 2 assists

Trappers 18, MVP 50

Kailin Odens: 6 points, 1 steal; Lexie McNinch: 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals; Kylie Guthmiller: 3 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists; Emily Dvorak: 2 points, 5 rebounds; Nora Robb: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists; Ellyana Ulmer: 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal; Kyliah Bjorum: 2 rebounds; Trinity Bietz: 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal