Lady Bulldogs Open Season on Homecourt: Game Preview – Madison vs Dell Rapids

The Madison Girls Basketball team will open their season tonight at home when they host Dell Rapids in the Madison High School Gym.

The Lady Bulldogs went just 4-16 overall (1-5 Region 3A) last season under head coach Maxine Unterbrunner in her inaugural season. Coach Unterbrunner and her team are hoping for a turnaround this season. They begin the year against one of the four opponents they defeated last season by a score of 50-46 on the road.

Dell Rapids

The Quarriers come in as a very young team. So young, they have as many eighth graders on their roster as they have seniors (2). Dell Rapids is led by a new head coach this season. Nicole Pankonen leads the way now for the Lady Quarriers. Coach Pankonen will look to turnaround a program that has struggled in recent years in girls basketball.

The Lady Quarriers haven’t won more than five games since the 2018-2019 season. A third of Dell Rapids losses in 2022-2023 were by single digits.

Madison

The Lady Bulldogs will be led this season by senior Audrey Nelson. Nelson averaged 12.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season. In last year’s matchup against the Lady Quarriers, she posted 18 points, five rebounds, two assists, three blocks and six steals. Filling up the stat sheet for the Lady Bulldogs.

Madison also returns various players with experience at the varsity level – returning the majority of their team from last year. Five total seniors in this year’s group after just a pair last year. Senior Karley Lurz is one of the three players from last season to score 100 or more points. She had the second highest percentage from three for the Lady Bulldogs last season of players who attempted 40 or more from deep.

The game will begin tonight at 7:30pm with pregame set to begin at 7:15pm on AM 1390 Dakotas Best.