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Washington Evening Journal
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Golden Hawks win eighth in a row
Mid-Prairie holds Alburnett to 12 first-half points in blowout victory
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WELLMAN — Mid-Prairie extended its winning streak to eight with a victory in its penultimate game of the regular season. The Golden Hawks took down Alburnett 65-43 on Tuesday to secure their 15th win of the campaign.
Alburnett managed to win the second half 31-27, but the game was never in doubt after the Pirates were held to just 12 points in the first two quarters. Mid-Prairie started the game on a 13-1 run, and Alburnett’s first field goal didn’t come until there was 1:14 left in the first quarter.
“We did struggle a little bit with the first game. It was a lot closer when we played them at Alburnett,” senior Katelyn Harland said. “ So we knew that we had to come out strong tonight and our press definitely helped out a lot. When they were pressured, they would just throw it away, and we’d get lots of steals.”
The Golden Hawks’ “Rover” full court pressure helped them tally 16 steals. Mid-Prairie backed off the press in the second half, but fired it back up after Alburnett cut the deficit under 20 and found some rhythm in the final two quarters.
Jovi Evans scored eight straight points during the Golden Hawks strong start to the game. The senior finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, one assist and a steal.
“She's gonna show up every night and do the best that she can, and she does a very good job at it,” Harper Pacha said of her senior teammate. “It's just a lot of fun because we know that we can count on her to put points up on the board.”
Mid-Prairie also hunted the offensive glass, grabbing 18 O-boards along with 20 defensive rebounds. The paint was the primary source of Mid-Prairie’s attack, as it only shot 21.1% from 3-point range but connected on 20 2-point field goals and went 13 of 15 at the free throw line.
“I thought we did a great job driving,” Mid-Prairie coach Jenny Hobbs said. “We saw openings, and they kind of closed it up second half and we started forcing things a little bit. But I thought we moved the ball extremely well.”
Morgyn Bender made three of the Golden Hawks’ four 3-pointers and scored 14 points, along with two rebounds, one assist and three steals. Tessa Bombei finished with 12 points, four boards, two dimes and a pair of steals.
Jeorgia Evans led the way on the defensive end with six steals to go along with four points and five rebounds. Brooklyn Schneider finished with four points, four rebounds and three steals.
“Everyone is good at so many different things, and it really just helps us because people don't know who to guard,” Harland said. “We have shooters. We people who can drive. Everyone can do everything, and it makes it very hard for teams to figure out what defense to play.”
Mid-Prairie (15-5, 11-2 River Valley South) finishes the regular season against Class 2A No. 10 Regina Catholic on Thursday. The winner will take sole possession of second place in the RVC South behind 3A No. 11 Tipton.
The Golden Hawks will start their postseason run two days later against Albia in the 3A Region 3 tournament. The two sides will square off at 7 p.m. Saturday at Mid-Prairie.
