A hot start and lots of length were enough for #2 MOC-Floyd Valley to keep #13 Mid-Prairie at bay in state quarterfinal action Tuesday in Des Moines. The Lady Dutch eliminated the Golden Hawks 51-30. MOC-Floyd Valley sprinted out of the gates with a 16-5 run that spanned the entire first quarter. Mid-Prairie would right the ship in the second quarter trailing 25-15 at the break, but struggled most of the day at the offensive end shooting just 29 percent from the field in the first half and going the entire game without a three point basket.

In the second half the Golden Hawks scored the first two points but All-State Candidate Alexis Conaway went on her own 7-0 to balloon the Lady Dutch lead to 15. Conaway ended the day with a game high 17. The other MOC-Floyd Valley six-footer, Emily McDonald ended with 14. Mid-Prairie would get as close as 10 a half dozen times down the stretch but were unable to complete a comeback. After the game Head Coach Marc Pennington talked about the second half comeback attempts.

“You know I think we had 10 once, we had three or four possessions in the late third or early fourth and I told our assistant that was a stretch that we could put those together and now you’re down six and I thought we’d get into the fourth quarter and have a shot, but we just couldn’t get a shot,” Pennington said.

The Hawks were led by Mallory McArtor’s 10 points. The trip to state, the first for Mid-Prairie since 2004 sees nine Mid-Prairie seniors play their final game. You can hear comments from Mid-Prairie Seniors Mariah Swartzentruber, Mallory McArtor, Erika Murphy and Head Coach Marc Pennington on the KCII PM Sports Page tonight at 6PM.