The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk boys and girls basketball teams honored their seniors with a pair of wins over the Tipton Tigers Tuesday at Tim Grady Gymnasium in Wellman for Senior Night. The Golden Hawk girls were able to grind out a 38-33 win. The Golden Hawks led 8-3 after the first quarter, but trailed 14-12 at half. In the second half, Mid-Prairie turned up the intensity across the board, outrebounding Tipton by seven, forcing 24 total Tiger turnovers on the night and putting together an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter to pull away in the win. After the game, Mid-Prairie head coach Danny Hershberger talked about seniors Myah Lugar and Phelan Hostetler. “They are the only two seniors that we have this year. They have been doing an amazing job through their entire career. They are the youngest in their families and they have been a part of Mid-Prairie athletics for a long time. They have meant a lot to us through their leadership and the way they communicate with the rest of the team. They’ve seen everything, they’ve been through it and they bring the team along with them. I’m proud of the way they have stepped up this year to become the leaders that they are.”
Maddie Nonnenmann led Mid-Prairie with 13 points, Hostetler added 11. With the win, the Golden Hawks are now 8-7 on the year.
The Mid-Prairie boys never trailed in a 62-33 rout of the Tigers. The Hawks hit two threes in the game’s first minute and were off the races after, parlaying that into a 16-3 run that lasted the entire first quarter. Mid-Prairie was up 28-15 at half. The Golden Hawks outscored Tipton 33-18 in the second half, extending their lead to as many as 33 early in the fourth. After the game, Mid-Prairie head coach Daren Lambert talked about seniors Aidan Rath, Luke Boyse and Keagan Brady. “As seniors they are everything. The guys who have been around and can show others the way. Their senior year we have turned the corner on the program. We are 8-3, it’s been a long time since we have had a record like that. It’s a credit to those guys. They each play a different role. Aidan Rath gets a lot of minutes as a big guy, gets a lot of rebounds and points. Luke Boyse is a spark off the bench and Keagan Brady is always there keeping it fun and stepping in when he needs to. All three are great in their roles and they make us better.”
Eight Golden Hawks scored on the night, including all three seniors led by Rath’s 16 points, Alex Bean also got to double figures with 10. With the win, the Golden Hawk boys are now 8-3 on the season. The Mid-Prairie boys and girls travel to Camanche Friday.