The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk boys and girls basketball teams traveled to Williamsburg Monday for rivalry basketball with the Raiders and the Hawks came back with a split. The Mid-Prairie girls won their contest 52-45. The Hawks had control early, on top 11-6 after one quarter, holding the Raiders scoreless for the first five minutes of the game and without a field goal for the first six. Mid-Prairie would build the lead to 28-14 at the break using the same formula in the second period, putting Williamsburg through a three and a half minute scoring drought and four and a half minute dry spell from the floor while winning the frame 17-8. The tide turned in the third, with Mid-Prairie on top by 16, the Raiders went on the run, scoring 20 of the next 24 to tie the game at 32 early in the fourth. Backs against the wall, the Hawks answered with seven straight with Nora Pennington and Kylie Reinier supplying key baskets to grab momentum. Amara Jones finished things from the line, going four of four in the final 30 seconds. After the game, Golden Hawk head coach Danny Hershberger talked about his team’s play to build the early lead, answering the Raider run late and his individual standouts. “When we’re working as one unit on defense, all five girls communicating together with our hands up, getting deflections, getting the offense out of their rhythm, that’s when we’re at our best. We did a good job of forcing them to take some tough shots and then we got the board right away to push it down the court. Josie Greiner comes off the bench in the second quarter and hits two big threes to extend the lead. We did a good job of executing our offense to build the lead in that second quarter. Anytime you give up a lead like that especially on the road, that makes it difficult. I’m incredibly proud of our group. We have a lot of girls with a lot of experience and they stepped up and made plays. Nora Pennington did a great job of getting baskets when we really needed them. Hit a huge three in the fourth quarter. Kylie (Reinier) when she had a mismatch down load. Amara (Jones) comes back and steps up late at the line.”
Pennington led the Hawks with 12 points, Landry Pacha went double double for the Hawks with 11 points and 11 boards, five of them on offense. Mid-Prairie won the turnover battle 17 to 16 and was plus six on the glass. The Hawks are now 6-5 on the year and get back to action Friday at Tipton.
The Mid-Prairie boys dropped a see-saw affair Monday 69-61 to their rivals from Williamsburg. The Raiders climbed on top 12-6 after the first period, but the Golden Hawks had a big answer in the second, running in 13 straight points and 20 of the next 24, exploding for 29 points in the second quarter to hold a 35-26 lead at the break. Williamsburg answered out of half with a 13-4 run that tied the game at 39 late in the third. The Golden Hawks got back-to-back threes from Ace Peck and Karson Grout to go back up six, but the Raiders chipped away, then closed the contest on a 10-2 sprint to take the win. The Raiders outrebounded Mid-Prairie by seven and won the turnover battle 17 to 11. They were led by future Hawkeye football player Derek Weisskopf’s 28 points. The Hawks had three in double figures with Camron Pickard posting 15 and Ace Peck and Shawn Dodds both going for 10. With the loss, Mid-Prairie is now 6-4 on the year as they gear up for Iowa City Regina at Xtream Arena in Coralville Tuesday. You can catch all of the action between the Hawks and Regals live on AM 1380, FM 102.5 and KCIIradio.com this afternoon, beginning with the Washington HyVee Pregame show at 4p.m. and tip off at 4:30.