“Maddy came to me and she was like, ‘The Lord renews your strength’ and I just got a burst, it was crazy. Ogunbowale said. “I appreciate her, she’s always talking to me. As a second year that’s big of her to come to me and talk to me and support me.”
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Ogunbowale scored seven points in the final minute and half of the fourth quarter. Siegrist contributed 13 points and five rebounds in the 87-79 victory. Center Kalani Brown said in the postgame press conference on May 18 that Siegrist does not take a play off and she thinks that makes a difference in the game.
“I had her last season on the bench and I kept her focused. She was ready then — she has been ready. She’s just that kind of stay ready player, so I’m very proud and I’m very impressed,” she said.
The offseason work
The development of Siegrist is just what the Dallas Wings need right now. The 6’1 forward has played herself into the starting lineup and is a key piece for the short-handed Wings.
Second-year Wings head coach Latricia Trammell said on the Locked On Women’s Basketball Podcast that Siegrist’s biggest jump was on the defensive end, realizing that everyone’s good in the league. She also revealed that Siegrist had a procedure on her knee that the team didn’t announce last season. Siegrist was able to rehab and participate in Athletes Unlimited (AU), finishing 12th on the leaderboard.
“AU was great. I mean it’s real physical, gets you stronger,” Siegrist said. “I’ve had to lift a little bit more since college, bulk up a little bit, but I feel like that’s prepared me to be in the position I am today.”
Dallas is down three players due to injury. Guard Jaelyn Brown is sidelined due to a nose procedure that will keep her out for one week. Forward Natasha Howard has a broken foot and will be out 3-6 weeks. The 2023 Most Improved Player, Satou Sabally, is out with a shoulder injury and will not return until after the Olympics in Paris. The contributions Siegrist has made so far can help the team weather the storm while the players rehab.
Dallas has had to make adjustments on the fly and now Siegrist has a chance to showcase what she can do. Trammell describes the way Siegrist game as gritty, dirty and tough. That is just what the Wings are going to need.
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“You can tell that she wants to be great. She obviously did great things in college and it’s hard to get used to the league, but you can’t get better if you don’t work and she did that in the offseason and it shows,” Ogunbowale said. “She’s just gonna keep getting better. You know she adds a lot that does not show up on the stat sheet but she’s going to be a big piece of us going on.”
Dallas begins their five-game road trip in Atlanta on Tuesday.
