WELLMAN

It’s all starting to come together for the Golden Hawks as Mid-Prairie celebrated senior night with a 60-53 win over the Regina Regals on Feb. 2 

This win over the 2A No. 10 ranked Regals was Mid-Prairie’s second straight victory against a ranked opponent and their fourth victory in a row, improving their record to 10-7. 

The confidence they have garnered in those wins was on full display in this close game against Regina, a team that had beaten them earlier in the season.

“All week in our four games we faced some type of deficit or comeback run from our opponent. Friday was similar to the situations we saw throughout the week, when you play good teams, they will have success as well.” Mid-Prairie head coach Daren Lambert said.

“The guys did a great job of responding to the adversity we faced and did the required things to earn success. Our guys defended down the stretch and hit shots to extend and protect our lead.”

After one point separated the teams after one quarter of play, Mid-Prairie put up 22 in the second frame to go into halftime with a 10-point advantage. 

Leading the offense charge in the second quarter was junior Ace Peck and sophomore Bryce Henry with Henry connecting on two 3-pointers and Peck hitting three 3-pointers. 

“Bryce Henry had a big night offensively with 20 points and hitting some difficult shots in the mid-range,” coach Lambert said. “Ace Peck added 12 and is shooting the ball confidently and hunting for shots which is great to his aggressiveness.”

The third quarter was also separated by one point leading to a final frame of this competitive conference contest with Mid-Prairie holding on to a 11-point lead. 

Regina responded to the challenge and went to work in the fourth. The Regals went on a 14-4 run to come within a single point of the Hawks, but this is as far as they would get. Mid-Prairie put a stop to the comeback by scoring six straight points to get the win on senior night, delighting the home crowd.  

“As a team we have been getting great individual performances as well as playing as a team,” coach Lambert said about what the key has been to their recent victories. “The guys have cleaned up things defensively and are getting consistent stops.  Players are shooting confidently with multiple guys having big nights.  Consistency on both ends of the floor have been key to our success.”

Before the game began Mid-Prairie honored its seniors Dylan Henry, Carson Pence, Beau Lynn, Brock Harland, and Kurt Schneider. 

Mid-Prairie 66, Williamsburg 61

Before senior night Mid-Prairie collected an exciting overtime non-conference win over the 3A No. 10 ranked Williamsburg Raiders on Feb. 1. 

A home contest for the Golden Hawks, this game against a quality opponent got the crowd invested. When Mid-Prairie eventually secured the victory in overtime the court was swarmed by the thrilled home faithful. 

At halftime the Hawks held a six-point lead over the Raiders. In the fourth quarter Williamsburg was able to mount their comeback, erasing their deficit and taking a three-point lead with less than two minutes left to play.

With little time left senior Dylan Henry made a 3-pointer to tie the game and then the Mid-Prairie defense got the stop on the other end to ensure the game stayed tied. 

In overtime the Hawks found themselves trailing by one but went on a 6-0 run to recapture the lead and eventually win the game. 

Bryce Henry led the way with a team high 23 points for Mid-Prairie. He also pulled down eight rebounds. The three other Golden Hawks who scored in the double digits were Ace Peck (15), Brady Weber (12), and Dylan Henry (12). 

Tipton 68, Mid-Prairie 54

Mid-Prairie’s four game winning streak ended on Monday night when the Tipton Tigers came into town for a River Valley Congruence Showdown on Feb. 5. 

The Tigers outscored the Golden Hawks in the first two quarters to go into halftime with a 13-point lead. 

Tipton maintained its lead all the way into the final frame. Mid-Prairie attempted a comeback but only got as close as seven points away. 

Leading all scorers was Tipton senior Preston Daedlow with 22 points. Fellow seniors, Ian Spangler and Brody Marchick also scored double figures with 14 and 14 points respectively. 

For Mid-Prairie they were led by Dylan Henry scoring 16 and Bryce Henry scoring 13. 

The Golden Hawks played against the Fairfield Trojans (1-17) on Feb. 6. Up next for Mid-Prairie (10-8) is staying home to face the West Branch Bears (14-6) on Feb. 8. Then the Hawks will play a home playoff game against Cardinal (1-18) on Feb. 12.