The Mid-Prairie girls basketball team opened the River Valley Conference season Tuesday night, hosting the Tipton Tigers at Tim Grady Gymnasium in Wellman.

In a game heard on AM and FM KCII, the Golden Hawks used a strong second half to take a 44-38 win. Things were tight throughout the first half with Mid-Prairie holding slim, short lived, one and two point leads before going into the locker room tied at 17. In the second half Mid-Prairie wrestled away control of the game with a 7-0 run to start the half. Mid-Prairie would lead by as many as nine at 40-31 with just 90 seconds to play before a late Tipton comeback attempt brought the Tigers within 40-38 with just under a minute to play. The Hawks stayed poised and were four of four at the free throw line down the stretch to ice the win.

The Golden Hawks were led on the night by their defense, forcing 31 total turnovers. Offensively, Ali Butters posted 15 points in the game, Alex Rath had 11 for the Golden Hawks. Mid-Prairie is now 1-1 on the young season. They will be back in action on Friday night when they host Northeast of Gooselake in a conference crossover game.