MP JV girls’ b-ball defeats West Liberty

by Coach Justin Lutjen
The Mid-Prairie junior varsity girls basketball team staged a second half comeback to earn a 35-29 victory over conference opponent West Liberty in their season opener Monday night, November 23.
Trailing 10-4 after the first quarter and 15-12 at half, the Golden Hawks came out strong in the second half, outscoring the Comets 12-2 in the third quarter. Hannah Miller led the scoring in the third frame with six points, followed by freshman Erika Murphy who netted four.
With a 25-17 advantage, the Golden Hawks kept the pressure on for most of the fourth quarter until the Comets rallied with one minute left in the game to cut the lead down to two points. However, clutch free throw shooting in the final minute by Miller and Kaitlin Kaalberg sealed the win.
The Golden Hawks (1-0, 1-0) had a balanced scoring attack with eight players scoring. Mid-Prairie was led by sophomore Hannah Miller with eight points, followed by Kaitlin Kaalberg with seven. Erika Murphy and Taylor Hershberger each added six. Freshman Jessi Butters led Mid-Prairie on the glass with nine rebounds. The JV squad was 9-13 from the free throw line to help earn the victory. Whitni Patterson, Brianna Bombei, and Carly Tappan led the way defensively for Golden Hawks.