Golden Hawks pull away from West Liberty

Ninth-ranked Mid-Prairie held just a three-point lead over West Liberty at halftime of Monday?s season opener inside Tim Grady Gymnasium, but the Golden Hawks pulled away in the second half for a 48-30 win.

?This was your typical first game,? Mid-Prairie head coach Marc Pennington said. ?We were pretty ragged early, but had a really nice stretch in the second half. Our defensive pressure forced 24 West Liberty turnovers and helped us stretch the lead in the second half.?

Senior Mallory McArtor had 13 points and five steals to lead the Golden Hawks (1-0, 1-0 Cedar Valley Conference). Senior Meghan Redlinger added eight points, five steals and four assists, and senior Mariah Swartzentruber had eight points, three blocked shots, three steals, three rebounds and two assists. Senior Olivia Lugar chipped in seven points and three steals off the Mid-Prairie bench.