The United South Central girls basketball team had a big game last Monday, Jan. 31, and scored their first win of the season.

The Rebel girls came through with a 61-43 victory over the Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons Knights, making their season record now 1-15. The Knights now posted a record of 4-12.

“This was a huge win for us this afternoon,” head coach Paul Meyer said after the game. “We have been making some strides and it was great to finally get the win.”

Taylor Schroeder had a monster game, scoring 25 points to lead the Rebels. She made 9 of 15 shots from 2-point range and was 7 of 10 at the free throw line.

Mayo Zebro also had a great shooting game, scoring 17 points, as well as grabbing 15 rebounds for a double-double. Hannah Meyer added nine points and six rebounds.

“One of our main focuses was to have a good first half and that is exactly what we did,” Meyer said. “In the second half I was very impressed with how we dealt with ACGE’s pressure. Early we had some turnovers, however, we did not lose our focus and were able to keep their runs small.”

Macy Zebro added four points and Lexi Johnson added four rebounds to the team totals.

“Defensively we made ACGE work for shots and overall we rebounded very well, not allowing them second chance opportunities,” the Rebel mentor added. “Offensively we moved the ball very well which gave us some great under the basket shots which we took advantage of, scoring 20 of our 31 first half points from within five feet of the basket.”

Handling pressure has been something the team has struggled with all year, the coach said, adding he was very happy how the girls handled it in this game.

“It was a great team effort in every aspect of the game and was a huge win for us,” Meyer concluded.

As a team the Rebels were 21 of 37 for 2-point shooting, 2 of 13 for 3-pointers and 13 of 19 for free-throws. They had 30 rebounds, four assists, nine steals, two blocks and 22 turnovers.

The Rebel girls’ next game was set for Friday, Feb. 4, at Faribault Bethlehem Academy. This week they will be at Southland on Monday, Feb. 7, and at Hayfield on Friday, Feb. 11.

Blooming Prairie 52, USC 21

The United South Central Rebel girls took on the Blooming Prairie Blossoms on Friday, Jan. 28, at home and lost 52-21. The loss dropped their season record to 0-15.

The Rebels started off playing well defensively, but their shooting was cold. While Blooming Prairie shot well, over 50 percent, the USC girls were under 10 percent and the Blossoms took a 41-6 lead.

“We took a big step forward tonight against a very good Blooming Prairie squad,” coach Paul Meyer said. “The team came out and played the best half we have played so far, in the second half. We had made some adjustments at halftime, but the key was refocusing our goals of high energy and communication, especially on the defensive end, and it was key to the second half.

The Rebels outscored the Blossoms 15-11 in that second half.

Leading the scoring for USC were Maya Zebro and Taylor Schroeder with six points each. They also led in rebounds with five each.

Madison Klingbeil added three points and Macy Zebro had four rebounds.

“Offensively, although we didn’t put up big numbers, we moved the ball and got a good rhythm going. If we continue this, the shots will fall eventually,” the Rebel coach said. “I’m excited that we have almost everyone back and healthy and the team can move into the last one-third of the season and get some momentum going.”

The Rebels were 4 of 24 for 2-point shooting, 2 of 10 for 3-pointers and 7 of 18 from the line. They had 16 rebounds, six steals, three blocks and 20 turnovers.

Medford 64, USC 27

The United South Central girls basketball team took on the Medford Tigers on Thursday, Jan. 27, and came away with a 64-27 loss.

Despite the loss, head coach Paul Meyer thought the team took a big step forward against Medford, even though the score did not reflect it.

“Offensively we were much more aggressive and we took the ball to the hoop better than the last few games,” he said. “Our defense was better, however we had a couple spurts in the first half where we did not box out and Medford took advantage of that.”

Macy Zebro led the team with nine points, Taylor Schroeder added six and Hannah Meyer five.

Schroeder had seven rebounds, Macy Zebro six, Maya Zebro five and Hannah Meyer four.

“If we continue to move the ball on offense, the shots will keep opening up,” coach Meyer said. “After a really tough few games, it was great to move forward again. I’m excited to see how this continues. The girls work hard in practice every day and now we need to put it all together into the game.”

As a team the Rebels were 8 of 40 for 2-point shooting, 2 of 12 for 3-pointers and 5 of 9 from the free-throw line. They had 33 rebounds, six assists, six steals and 23 turnovers.