DURANT
The clock read 0:01.
The score was tied.
And suddenly, Mid-Prairie sophomore Morgyn Bender had the ball in her hand.
“I was just in shock, honestly,” Bender …
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DURANT
The clock read 0:01.
The score was tied.
And suddenly, Mid-Prairie sophomore Morgyn Bender had the ball in her hand.
“I was just in shock, honestly,” Bender said. “I got it and I knew I had to shoot it right away.”
So, she did.
The 3-point shot floated through the net for a 52-49 Golden Hawks win December 20 at Durant as Mid-Prairie’s side of the spectator sections erupted in cheers.
And Bender somehow survived a wild celebration on the court as the rest of the Golden Hawks chased her down.
“I got the wind knocked out of me a little bit,” she said, laughing.
The victory was the sixth straight for Mid-Prairie, which is ranked No. 15 in Class 3A entering its holiday break. The season resumes January 3 at West Liberty.
“Going into Christmas break, this feels a whole lot better than it could have,” Golden Hawks head coach Danny Hershberger said.
Mid-Prairie rallied from a five-point deficit for the win. A 3-pointer from the corner by sophomore guard Izzy Kite tied the score at 49-49 with 2.2 seconds left. Without that, Bender would never have seen her game-winner.
“Morgan stepped up huge for us, Izzy stepped up huge for us, and hit some big-time shots for us,” Hershberger said.
After Kite’s 3-pointer, her third of the game, Durant’s possession wound up with a long pass that went out of bounds. No time expired in the play and the Golden Hawks set up for a potential game-winner. Hershberger said they had set up for multiple options, including Bender.
“We did a good job of finding the open one (Bender),” Hershberger said.
When the ball left her hands, Bender wondered if it was on target.
“For a second, I didn’t,” she said.
Then, she did.
“It feels amazing,” Bender said.
While Bender (8 points) and Kite (9 points) provided the dramatics, senior forwards Callie Huber and Brylee Gearhart provided the muscle. Huber grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds and Gearhart had 9. A team-high 13 points by Huber produced a double-double.
Brooklyn Schneider, a sophomore guard, had a team-high 5 steals.
Mid-Prairie 92,
Wilton 31
Callie Huber scored a game-high 18 points, and Brylee Gearhart scored a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Golden Hawks in a dominating win over Wilton on December 17.
Sophomore guards Brooklyn Schneider and Izzy Kite, and sophomore forward Morgyn Bender each hit three 3-pointers for Mid-Prairie. Schneider scored 15 points, one of five Golden Hawks to reach double figures in scoring. Bender added 14 points and freshman guard Jeorgia Evans scored 10.
Mid-Prairie outscored Wilton 18-9 in the opening quarter, then pulled ahead 45-20 at halftime.
Tessa Bombei, a freshman, had a game-high 6 assists and Evans had a game-high 6 steals.
Kinsey Drake led Wilton (0-6) with 14 points and 3 assists.
GAME STATS
MID-PRAIRIE 52, DURANT 49
Mid-Prairie 10 10 14 18 -- 52
Durant 12 10 13 14 -- 49
Mid-Prairie scoring: Callie Huber 13, Izzy Kite 9, Morgyn Bender 8, Brooklyn Schneider 7, Brylee Gearhart 7, Tessa Bombei 3, Katelyn Harland 2, Myli Hershberger 2, Olivia Swartzendruber 1.
Mid-Prairie leading rebounders: Huber 17, Gearhart 9.
MID-PRAIRIE 92, WILTON 31
Wilton 9 11 7 4 -- 31
Mid-Prairie 18 27 30 17 -- 92
Wilton scoring: Kinsey Drake 14, Leah Caffery 8, Abren Bazal 2, Ashley Swift 2, Annie Holladay 2, Natalie Bailey 2, Jessie Mach 1.
Mid-Prairie scoring: Callie Huber 18, Brooklyn Schneider 15, Morgyn Bender 14, Brylee Gearhart 14, Jeorgia Evans 10, Izzy Kite 9, Tessa Bombei 7, Katelyn Harland 3, Olivia Swartzendruber 2.
Wilton leading rebounders: Mach 6, Drake 5.
Mid-Prairie leading rebounders: Gearhart 11, Huber 8, Bender 6.