Auburn Splits Closely Contested Home Games Against Maryville, MO, Palmyra

Coach Grant Cole’s Bulldog team found themselves in a couple of battles this past week. The Auburn girls hosted Maryville, Missouri and Palmyra this past week in Auburn. The Bulldogs fell short against the Spoofhounds on Tuesday, January 2, but bounced back with a close victory over Palmyra on Friday, January 5. Auburn sits at 5-7 following their most recent week of play.

Maryville, MO Game

15 points from Sydney Binder and a double- double from Zoe Baltensperger wasn’t enough to put the Bulldogs over the top against their out of state opponent Tuesday night in Auburn. Maryville, Missouri outscored Auburn 12-0 in transition, leading to a 45-38 win for the Spoofhounds.

Auburn capitalized on a slow start from their opponent, getting out to an early lead, but Maryville would tie the game up at 11 apiece by the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs would have their worst scoring quarter in the second, giving up the lead to the Spoofhounds early in the period. Auburn seven second quarter points made for the lowest scoring quarter for any team all game, as Maryville scored 10 in the same amount of time to take a 21-18 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Maryville was able to turn the Bulldogs over 13 times, compared to eight turnovers themselves, leading to the 12-0 deficit in transition points. The Spoofhounds also had the advantage in every shooting category besides foul shots, as they shot a combined 37 percent from the field in the contest, while Auburn slacked in comparison at 30 percent. Both teams made four three-pointers, but the team from Missouri did it on four less attempts. Maryville attempted 16 free throws compared to just eight for the Bulldogs, but poor shooting at the line by the Spoofhounds nearly evened the one-point baskets.

In the third quarter, Auburn would work to tie the game and eventually take the lead, but by the end of the period, Maryville would see their lead extend to 34-28. Throughout the early minutes of the fourth, Maryville further increased their lead to double digits.

Despite leading the Bulldogs with 15 points, Binder would finish four-of-19 from the field but go perfect in her five free throw attempts. The three ball wasn’t falling for Auburn either, as usual sharpshooters Binder, MaKenna Turner, and Ella Swanson went a combined 3/20 from beyond the arch.

The Bulldogs would rally late to make the game interesting, but Maryville was able to pull away to secure the 45-38 victory over their Nebraska competitors.

Score by Quarter Auburn 11-7-10-10--38 Maryville 11-10-13-11--45 Stats Against Maryville, MO Points: Sydney Binder 15; Zoe Baltensperger 10; Addy Maddox 7; Ella Swanson 3; Addison Darnell 2; MaKenna Turner 1.

Rebounds: Baltensperger 11; Darnell and Maddox 5; Turner 3; Mackenzie Stanley 2; Binder 1; Assists: Darnell and Maddox 2; Swanson and Stanley 1.

Palmyra Game

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead over the Panthers on Friday, January 5 in Auburn. Though the Bulldogs led nearly the entire contest, Palmyra refused to go away, making for a four quarter battle.

Addy Maddox scored a game high 12 points on four of 11 shooting from the field, including three-for-seven from beyond the arch. Also adding triples for the Bulldogs was Turner who converted on onethird of her six attempts from three. Sydney Binder made a three pointer as well, but went one-for-six from three against the Panthers. Binder and Turner each finished with eight points. Auburn got another boost down low from Baltensperger, who led the Bulldogs in rebounds with 11 and assists with three to go with six points for the senior.

A scoring burst by the Panthers late in the first quarter cut the Auburn lead to 12-10 after one period of play. The second quarter would play out much the same, with Auburn leading 20-16 at the break.

Palmyra would strike first in the second half, but the Bulldogs would once again take quarter three by a pair of points to grow their lead to six entering the fourth quarter.

Once the final period began, the Panthers, feeling the time slipping away, went on a run to tie the game early in the fourth. With the score now tied at 38 apiece, the Bulldogs would complete the fourth quarter with a 6-2 run that sent Palmyra home with a four-point loss to the Bulldogs.

While the two teams shot a similar percentage from the field, the Bulldogs had an edge from the three point line, making six triples on 20 attempts compared to two treys on 11 attempts for the visiting team. Auburn also had the rebounding advantage, with 35 boards compared to 27 for the Panthers.

Score by Quarter Auburn 12-8-14-6--40 Palmyra 10-6-12-8--36 Stats Against Palmyra Points: Maddox 12; Binder and Turner 8; Baltensperger 6; Darnell 4; Stanley 2.

Rebounds: Baltensperger 11; Darnell 6; Stanley 5; Maddox and Binder 3; Turner and Wehenkel 1.

Assists: Baltensperger 3; Darnell 2; Binder, Wehenkel, and Maddox 1.