Mustangs Defeat Outlaws, Warriors Before Break

The Malta Mustangs basketball team will head into Christmas break 4-1 after picking up a 59-50 win over the Roy-Winifred Outlaws on Thursday, December 21, in Winifred and a 78-58 victory over the Fairview Eagles on Friday, December 22, in Malta.

The win over Fairview was Malta's first home victory after falling to Havre a couple of weeks ago.

The Mustangs will face the Glasgow Scotties in Malta on Saturday, January 6.

In Malta's win over Fairview, juniors Bodhi Brenden and Treyton Wilke both scored 20 points. Brenden had seven steals, six rebounds, and four assists. Wilke had six assists.

The PCN caught up with senior captain Carson Ottinger and asked him what contributed most to the team's win over Fairview.

"We just had to work hard," Ottinger said. "This is a team that we have never seen before. They are bigger than us. We just had to work harder than them."

Ottinger is seeing his first time as a starter this season.

"I have always been the underdog. And it is nice to finally be able to get out there and prove myself," Ottinger said.

Sophomore Dawson Hammond had 18 points and four steals. Ottinger had nine points.

Sophomore Duke Williamson had seven points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Junior Kellen Murray had two points and Kazner Oxarart became the first eighth-grader to score a field goal in a Malta varsity basketball game. It occurred after he recorded a steal and fastbreak layup last in the fourth quarter.

To win, Malta had to overcome the height, talent, and size of seniors Jeff Tjelde and Landen Thompson.

"He was big," Ottinger said. "I definitely had to work harder."

Teams traded buckets early and Malta led 17-16 at the end of the first quarter. Malta outpaced Fairview 22-10 in the second quarter, put Malta up 39-26 at halftime. Malta continued to grow their lead in the third, outscoring Fairview 22-17. The Mustangs also won the fourth quarter, outscoring Fairview 17-15.

After gaining the lead late in their games against Roy-Winifred, Malta maintained their lead in the final three quarters of the game.

Brenden and Wilke both had 17 points in their win over the Outlaws. Wilke had seven rebounds. Brenden had five rebounds and three assists.

"We had to push through," Ottinger said of the win. "We started off very slow. We just had to keep working. It was a place that we had never played at before. We had to get used to the environment."

Mason Simanton had nine points and six rebounds. Williamson had seven points, 11 rebounds. Ottinger had six points and three rebounds. Hammond had three points, seven rebounds, and one steal.

Heading into break, Ottinger was asked what the team will likely be working on.

"We definitely need to work on our zone offense a little bit," he said. "Our communication. But we are getting better everyday."