The Melcher-Dallas girls’ basketball team opens their season tonight as they take on the Wayne Falcons of the Pride of Iowa Conference. This game will be a good litmus test for the Saints against a familiar foe.

Melcher-Dallas is entering the season with the hope that they can get back to the .500 mark for the first time since 2009-10, when they went 14-8. There are high hopes for Saints Coach Kelsey Goff and her team, since they tripled their win total from three to nine in 2019-20.

With four starters returning, including top scorer Kynser Reed, the Saints look to take a big step forward. Goff tells KNIA Sports that Senior Grace Overgaard is going to fill the final starting spot, but she also is going to value Twin Cedars transfer Hailey Hoch.

“Having that knowledge and experience is definitely going to be great. We are looking to start Grace Overgaard, who is a senior this year. She has lots of varsity experience, looking for her to fill that fifth spot this year. Hailey Hoch, who is a transfer from Twin Cedars, looking for her to give me some minutes and potentially contend for a starting spot.”

Overgaard started ten games last winter, and led the team in rebounding, averaging 7.9 per game. Her highest rebounding total in a game last year was 15 in a 20-point victory over Tri-County. During Hoch’s freshman season at Twin Cedars, she averaged 12.4 rebounds per game, tops in 2018-19.

Wayne is coming off a 12-11 season with a 5-8 record in the Pride of Iowa conference in 2019-20. The Falcons are returning all but two players on their roster from last season, including four of five starters. All four returning starters are juniors, including their top two scorers Emily Jones and Sterling Berndt at 14.6 and 10.9 points per game respectively. Jones also shot 51% from the field.

The Falcons have won the last five matchups between these two teams, including a 50-37 victory in November 2019. The last time Melcher-Dallas beat Wayne was on November 25, 2014 with a 33-28 victory. The Falcons have also won eight of the last nine matchups, six of them by double figures.

The 2014 victory over Wayne was also the last time Melcher-Dallas won a season opener. Tip-off is at 6:00 P.M. in Melcher-Dallas.