By Noah Dalton
MITCHELL — On Saturday, Mitchell High School faced one of the toughest challenges on this season’s schedule to close their regular season, welcoming conference opponent Orleans to The Hive.
The Bulldogs entered the game as the #5 ranked team in Indiana’s 1A division and unbeaten in Patoka Lake Athletic Conference play with an overall record of 17-3.
Orleans carried on with their strong play this season, ultimately beating the Bluejackets 71-31.
The two teams fought back and forth during the first quarter, trading baskets with the Bulldogs finishing the period with a 15-9 lead.
Orleans began to pull away in the second, outscoring Mitchell 18-2 in the quarter, holding the Bluejackets scoreless until just seconds remained on the clock.
“I think we threw some things at them defensively that they might not have expected.They made adjustments in the second quarter and kind of figured some things out. So credit to them,” said Mitchell head coach Dakota Brasher.
“At times our offense looked as good as it had for quite a long time. So that was good to see. We moved the ball, made some shots, had some good passes in the first quarter, and then it kind of got away from us after that.”
The Bluejackets found more success on offensive in the third, but struggled to contain the Bulldogs, who continued to roll on.
They scored 25 points in the third compared to just 12 from Mitchell, pushing their lead up to 35 and triggering a running clock near the end of the quarter, effectively securing the win.
The Bluejackets struggled to contain Orleans, who exploded for a season-high in scoring with 71 points when all was said and done.
“Our problem tonight was giving up 71 points.
Give up 71 points to anybody, they’re going to be hard to beat. They are hard to beat. They’re really skilled,” Brasher said.
Chelsea Ralph was the top scorer for the 20 points. Also in double figures for Orleans were Caleigha Ralston (11 points), Callie Alston (15 points) and Hayley Dille (10 points).
For the Bluejackets, Ava Woods was the top scorer with seven points. Just behind her was the team’s lone senior, Paisley Modglin, who scored six points, in what will be her last game at The Hive for Mitchell.
Brasher said Modglin has been someone who’s helped to set the standard for the program during his time at the helm.
“Paisley’s been there for everything. She’s somebody we can rely on in the locker room.
She’s going to go off and be really, really successful,” said Brasher.
“We love Paisley. We hate to lose her, but she set a good standard here that will hopefully continue to grow.”
This game was the final before sectional play for the Bluejackets.
Mitchell is in Sectional 46, where they’ll compete against Eastern Pekin, Providence, Crawford County, Salem, Paoli, Lanesville and Clarksville.
Their first round matchup will be against Clarksville on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. Games will be hosted at Eastern Pekin.
Should they win, they’ll advance to face the winner between Crawford County and Lanesville.
The postseason serves as a chance for the Bluejackets to have a bit of a fresh start following a difficult regular season, where they finished with an overall record of 6-16.
According to Brasher, the key to advancing in the tournament will be focusing on the team’s fundamental skills.
“It all comes down to fundamentals. Whoever wins a sectional, they’re going to be the most fundamental team in the sectional. I truly believe that,” said Brasher.
“We’ve got to keep working, keep working on the fundamentals, keep getting better. That’s the name of the game. People think it’s X’s and O’s, and it’s not. It’s being able to develop players and get players better, and I feel like we’ve done that.”
