Girls Basketball Victorious in Nail-Biter Against Waterloo East

The MCHS girls’ basketball team came away victorious in an away game against the Waterloo East Trojans last Friday, winning with a score of 45-43.

“We battled really hard, said senior and basketball captain Gracyn Braun. “I think it went great.”

The Trojans came out hot, scoring a quick three-pointer mere seconds after the tip-off. However, after a succession of turnovers, senior Brogan Evans scored the first Riverhawk points of the night from behind the foul line. Consecutive threes by senior Gracyn Braun and sophomore Leah Dykstra kept the team within reach of the Trojans, who continued to dominate offensively.

“In the first little bit, we were a little hesitant to get shots up,” said Braun. “We were just not in the game yet.”

However, it was not too late to turn things around. A layup by Dykstra to finish out the first quarter put the Riverhawks in the lead for the first time, bringing the score to 11-12.

Braun said that team support helped put the Riverhawks in the lead. “We cheered each other on the whole time, which I think helped get us back in the game,” she said.

The Riverhawks stayed just ahead of the Trojans for the entire second quarter, but a last-second three-pointer by the Trojans tied the game up just before the half.

Both teams played an extremely aggressive game, accumulating a large number of fouls and playing with extreme physicality. “Waterloo East plays physical basketball,” said Braun. “We had to put our bodies out there and just keep fighting.”

An additional challenge for the Riverhawk girls was defensive matchups. “They have some girls that are very tough to match up with on our team, as we don’t have much height,” said Braun.

The teams’ scores stayed locked together for the remainder of the game, but the Riverhawks came up with two extra points to narrowly win the game.

The Riverhawks’ next game is Tuesday night at Des Moines Roosevelt. “Every game we just want to get one day better,” said Braun.