Sands’ state-ranked girl hoop squad might have came home from Merkel Friday night with a win but they had to survive a scare from the Class 3A Badgers. Ranked fourth in the state in Class 1A, captured a 38-36 victory to improve their season record to 8-1. “This was definitely a defensive battle, especially there in the first half,” Coach Ben Connell said. The Mustangs led 15-9 at halftime. “We finally got a little more going offensively in the second half including four three-pointers there in the fourth quarter. There toward the end, our girls finally started attacking the basket better. Plus, we also ...