Mid-Prairie girls hold on for win

WELLMAN — The Mid-Prairie girls basketball team has now been victorious in back-to-back games for the first time this season, first picking up a win against Northeast in December and now finishing off Wilton Tuesday night, 43-38.

The Golden Hawks began Tuesday’s contest looking as if they were going to run away with it. They quickly grabbed a 9-2 lead over the Beavers.

Mid-Prairie held Wilton to just two points until the 3:37 mark in the first, from which the Beavers would go on to score five straight, cutting the lead to three, 9-6.

However, the Golden Hawks quickly answered back, ending the first with a 6-0 run of their own holding a 15-6 lead.

During the second quarter, both teams would struggle. The Golden Hawks scored just four points in the quarter, but still held a 19-14 lead at the half, withholding the Beavers to eight points throughout the second.

“They started to figure out what we were trying to do and picked up their defense a little bit there,” Mid-Prairie head coach Daniel Hershberger said. “We wanted to get out and get some fast break points. We were able to do that early, but they slowed us down.”

“When you’re not playing great offense you have to play great defense and our girls were able to do that.”

In the third, Wilton cut the lead to as close as one point before Mid-Prairie used a 7-0 to gain some breathing room. With a 7-3 run by Wilton to end the quarter, Mid-Prairie clung to a four-point lead, 29-25, heading into the fourth.

At the start of the fourth, the Golden Hawks were able to get some leeway following a pair of threes from Cana Rediger, giving Mid-Prairie a eight point lead, 35-27.

“In the beginning I wasn’t really hitting anything,” Rediger said. “My teammates were lifting me up and I just slowed down and made them.”

The Beavers would come within three in the final minute of play, but a pair of free throws from Amara Jones was enough to seal the win. The Golden Hawks won the fourth 14-13.

“I’m really happy we were able to stick with it and continue to fight throughout the game,” Hershberger said.

Mid-Prairie did well limiting Wilton’s scoring across the board, as it was until the fourth quarter that the third Beaver scored.

After coming off winter break, Rediger says that she proud of how the team performed.

“It feels pretty good,” she said. “I felt like we worked hard in practice and it showed today.”

Jones led the way for the Golden Hawks with 13 points and five assists. Redinger finished with nine points and four assists. Maddie Nonnenmann added eight points. Landry Pacha scored six points, while pulling down eight rebounds. Maya Nonnenmann chipped in four points and Nora Pennington three.

Mid-Prairie moves to 5-3 on the season and will be back in action on Friday against West Branch, 7-2, at home.

Comments: hunter.moeller@southeastiowaunion.com