Malta, Rocky Boy ends with time left

The Malta Mustangs Basketball team went 2-1 last week, defeating the Rocky Boy Northern Stars in a game that ended with controversy and with 4 minutes and 32 seconds left in regulation last Tuesday, February 6.

The Mustangs would go on to defeat the Roundup Panthers 45-28 on Saturday, February 6, and fall to the Froid-Lake Redhawks 47-44 on Friday, February 5.

In picking up a pair of wins, Malta Head Coach David Costin was proud of how the team bounced back after back-to-back losses to Glasgow and Rocky Boy in late January.

"We just weren't as focused as I would have liked us in those games (in January)," Coach Costin said. "In two of the last three games, I thought we played a lot more focused, intense, and we were able to focus a lot better, even in the loss to Froid-Lake."

Coach Costin said that Froid-Lake provided Malta with a nice game against a good team.

"That was not a loss to hang our heads on," Coach Costin said.

The Mustangs are slated to face the Poplar Indians on Friday, February 12, at 6 p.m. in Malta. The team will then travel to Harlem to face the Wildcats on Saturday, February 13, at 4 p.m. The Mustangs faced Wolf Point on Tuesday, February 9, and the results of that game will be in next week's PCN.

Last Tuesday, Malta's home game against Rocky Boy ended with 4:32 left in regulation as frustrations boiled over due to technical fouls called on Rocky Boy.

The first technical foul was given within the first couple of minutes due to Rocky Boy's Ben Crebs slapping the backboard while trying to block a layup.

Technical fouls were given to both team's coaches throughout the game, as both argued the validity of calls against their teams.

Both teams flopped throughout the game, but Rocky Boy athletes were given two technical fouls for attempting to draw fouls through flopping. The last flop technical, given to Crebs at 4:32, resulted in his ejection from the game. Rocky Boy coach Adam DeMontiney took exception to the foul call, arguing that Crebs was fouled on the three-point attempt. DeMontiney was given his second technical and was ejected from the game. Rocky Boy's assistant coach Wade Colliflower left the bench and eventually called on the team to leave the court.

The final score was 62-47 in favor of Malta. The Mustangs were led by Rex Williamson who scored 21 points. Connor Tuss had 18 points, Kooper Oxarart had 17 points, and Jared Eggebrecht had two points.

Malta outscored Rocky Boy 23-8 in the first quarter. Teams would trade buckets throughout. Rocky Boy scored 15 in the second while Malta scored 13, and Malta would outscore the Stars 18-14 in the third. Rocky Boy had 10 in the fourth and Malta had eight.

Malta posted a dominant victory over Roundup on Saturday, February 6. The score was 45-28.

The Mustangs were led by Tuss who had 13 points. Eggebrecht had 12 points, Williamson had eight points, Oxarart had eight points, Mortenson had two points.

Malta's defense did not give up a single point in the first quarter, while offensively the team thrived, scoring 13 points.

Teams were pretty even in point totals throughout the rest of the game, but Malta slowly built on their lead throughout.

The Mustangs lost a close game to Froid-Lake in Malta on Friday, February 6. The score was 47-44.

Williamson led Malta with 13 points, Oxarart had 12 points, Messerly had six points, Tuss had six points, Mortenson had four points, and Eggebrecht had three points.

Malta had a 13-10 lead at the conclusion of the first period and a 25-23 lead by halftime. The game was tied 32 all going into the fourth. Froid-Lake outscored Malta 15-12 in the final period.

With about a minute and a half to go, Malta brought the game to three but was unable to get over the hump.

"That's twice this season that I haven't handled end game situations well," Coach Costin said. "I've got to do better with putting them in good spots and good positions."

Coach Costin said that Malta had not faced a team like Froid-Lake all year, stating that the Redhawks were physical, athletic, and skilled.