The first quarter was the only one played competitively in the score column.

The Golden Hawks on an extremely hot streak, jumped to a 6-0 lead, four scored off the back of senior, Maya Nonnenmann. Durant senior, Joslyn Entsminger, scored before Mid-Prairie made it 9-2, a runaway lead.

Entsminger then scored four straight points. The Wildcats continued to make it close when junior, Kierra Hahn, hit a buzzer beater, to make the score 11-8 in favor of the Hawks at the tail-end of one.

The Golden Hawks never trailed in this game, winning 63-22. Senior, Landry Pacha, and Nonnenmann, led in scoring for Mid-Prairie with 12 each.

The second quarter was the catalyst for this swift and decisive win. The Hawks scored 15, playing extremely well from the free throw line, hitting six in this quarter alone.

Senior, Josie Greiner, stole a wild pass from the Wildcats in the offensive zone, scoring easily, all by herself.

The free throws and the impressive play of Greiner helped the Hawks obtain a 14-point halftime lead. Greiner had 11 points in this game.

Durant opened the second half scoring, followed by a Hawk offensive onslaught, scoring 23 unanswered. Senior, Amara Jones, scored five straight, a two and three-pointer. Then, Nonnenmann stole a pass and scored.

“I thought, you know defensively, Amara Jones, kind of our leader, our point guard, really kind of set the tone for us, getting some steals, getting the ball to the court quickly,” head coach Daniel Hershberger said. “A really good team effort, a lot of our seniors stepped up and played good tonight.”

The Golden Hawks had a very impressive turnout of fans in the student section, dressed in camo for a themed night. During their offensive outbreak, the student section blew up in excitement.

Durant had a good showing of fans as well, but their cheers paled in comparison to the home team.

Durant had chances but continued to miss shots and turn the ball over to the Hawks, who capitalized time and time again.

Durant coach Ross Delong spent the bulk of the game yelling at his team on the court and shaking his head on the sideline in clear frustration after each missed shot and turnover. It was a frustrating night for the Wildcats.

Hershberger believed the defense and offense both played excellent in the second half and solidified the win. He thinks that the team was better able to find shooters in the corner and identify shooters on the defensive side of the ball as well.

A scary moment occurred in the third when junior Nora Pennington, went up to block a shot and came back down hard on her back, potentially hitting her head on the court. She stayed in the game, and even made a very good block at midcourt, knocking the ball out of bounds at the end of the quarter.

The fourth was rather uneventful as the Hawks outscored the visiting Wildcats 12-2, two scored by Pennington. The Hawks won 63-22. They played the previous night, and four of five nights, showing their toughness as a team to weather busy schedules and win big games when needed. To this point, they have not lost in the new year and hope to use this as fuel for the playoffs.

“[Winning seven straight] is exciting, we’re having a lot of fun and the girls are playing extremely hard,” Hershberger said. “[They’re] kind of learning that if you work hard, it pays off. So, we just gotta keep it going that way.”

The Hawks can use a few days of rest to get back some energy after a four-game in five-day stretch. One thing that Hershberger added is that he’d like the team to stay sharp in those few days of rest to help continue the winning streak.

Looking Ahead: 

The Golden Hawks fly north to Iowa City to take on Iowa City Regina High on Feb. 3, at 6:30 P.M..

GAME STATS

Durant     8      4       8        2  --  22

Mid-Prarie  11   15    25     12  --  63

MID-PRAIRIE SCORING: Landry Pacha 12, Maya Nonnenmann 12, Josie Greiner 11.

MID-PRAIRIE REBOUNDS: Pacha 11, Amara Jones 6, Nonnenmann 6.