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Photo Courtesy of MP Sports Social Media (Nicole Miller)
In their second road conference doubleheader of the week it was a split for the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk girls and boys basketball teams at West Branch Friday. The Golden Hawk girls were a winner, avoiding the upset trap by the winless Bears, 57-53. The first half was tight with Mid-Prairie up 13-10 after one and 24-21 at half, thanks to a 9-1 run late in the first and into the second frame, led by seven points from Brooklyn Schneider. West Branch put together an 8-0 run out of half that saw them take their largest lead at 34-30, only to be answered by 17 straight points from the Hawks, keyed by baskets from Schneider and Morgyn Bender. Mid-Prairie led by as many as 13 in the second half, but the Bears wouldn’t go away. West Branch knocked down 14 threes on the night, eight after half, and would get back within two in the final minute with three straight chances to tie or take the lead before the Hawks iced it with a Nora Pennington steal and score with eight seconds left. After the contest, Golden Hawk head coach Danny Hershberger talked about what his team showed by winning in a tough environment and how they got the job done. Hershberger said, “What a job by Brooklyn (Schneider) tonight. She just looks better and better each time on the court. Brooklyn and Morgyn (Bender) came in and did a great job providing some offense. It’s huge when you can go three or four possessions in a row with a three and build a lead like that. We did a really good job in their last possession of not letting them throw the ball where they wanted to throw it and forcing a turnover. Callie Huber was big for us inside with a double double with points and rebounds. Nora Pennington steps up and gets five steals, that’s a huge job from a senior stepping up and making a play when our team needed it. Not the cleanest or prettiest win, but a win is a win and we’re happy with the result!”
The Hawks put four in double figures led by a career high 17 for Schneider. Callie Huber had a double double with 12 points, and 13 rebounds Bender scored 11 and Pennington 10. Mid-Prairie shot 47% from the floor, 50% from deep and hit eight threes while dishing out 13 assists. The Hawks improve to 4-2 on the year while the Bears fall to 0-5.
The boys contest was a tough one for the Hawks as they fell 83-46. West Branch took control with physical, stifling defense from the opening whistle, pitching a shut out against the Hawks in the first quarter to lead 15-0 after one. It was a nine minute drought in total for the Golden Hawks who would trail 34-15 at half. Mid-Prairie would get as close as 14 after the break, but the Bears put the game away scoring 49 points in the second half, and enacting the running clock, to seal the win. Holden Arnamen led the Bears with 31 points. Mid-Prairie got 10 from Bryce Henry. The loss drops the Hawks to 2-2, while West Branch improves to 3-1.
The Mid-Prairie boys and girls will both be in action Tuesday at Wilton in a doubleheader you can hear on KCII.