![Bass Clef Choir members Zion Ondoma, Henry Hansen, and Zerik Nicholson harmonize vocals while singing "Prayer of the Children". “[It’s] a piece dealing with the Bosnian conflicts of the ‘90s,” said Associate Director of Choral Activities Matthew Jensen, “but is applicable to what's happening today all over the world.” The students will perform the song during Large Group Contests in Cedar Falls in May.](https://riverhawkpress.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260414_111618-1200x554.jpg)
On Monday, the Riverhawk Boys Basketball team found out who they play in the postseason and where the journey starts. The team will play at home against the Waterloo West Warhawks this upcoming Monday, February 23rd.
“To have a home crowd advantage for substate, it’s really great to be able to do that, to not have to travel, and obviously you get a home court advantage, especially if everybody’s packing the stands,” Head Coach Nicholas Trask said. “That’s exactly what you want for a playoff game.”
The Riverhawks are coming into this game on fire, winning four games in a row, starting with Waterloo East during senior night. Also, getting wins against Des Moines Lincoln, Charles City, and Des Moines East. With the last three of those games being on the road and ending in gritty close games, which Mason City executed down the stretch and got the wins.
The Riverhawks finished with multiple achievements, ending the regular season with a winning record, the first from Mason City since the 2016-17 season. Senior, Marcele Whitner, is top 20 in points per game in 4A with 17.1 points per game and is only 43 points from the 1000 mark. Mason City hasn’t had a 1000-point scorer since Kyle Lang from the 2017 class.
To add on to the individual accomplishments, junior Jameer Falls in 4A is top 20 in assists with 81 assists and is top 15 in steals with 42. As a team for accomplishments, the Riverhawks are top 10 in points per game with 64.2 points per game, top 25 in rebounds with 27.5 rebounds per game, top 10 in steals with 9.4 steals per game, and top 25 in three-point makes with 6.3 threes made per game in all of 4A. The Riverhawks this season have been really good at getting to the free-throw line but Mason City doesn’t just get to the line; they capitalize. They rank top 15 in Iowa with 11.4 free throws made per game while shooting 69.6%, good for top 35 in the state.
“One important aspect of any game, but especially in the playoffs, is being able to shoot a high percentage from the line,” said Trask, “Officials will often call tighter games in the playoffs, meaning more chances at the line. We would like to be shooting around 75% during playoffs so we are right there.
The Warhawks are going into the playoffs with a devastating loss, losing to Cedar Rapids Kennedy 77-39 to end their regular season with a record of 8-13. The Riverhawks are looking for as much support as possible, so be loud and proud in the Riverhawk Gymnasium at 7PM to help Mason City get its first playoff win since 2022.
