(Avoca) AHSTW was a point away from the state tournament last year. Their road to redemption starts with a regional quarterfinal this week. The 15-6 Lady Vikes are set to host their postseason opener Tuesday night against 4-16 Interstate-35.
Coach Jill Vanderhoof’s squad put together a seven game win streak late in the season before being defeated by Tri-Center last Tuesday. Their string included wins against 10th ranked Treynor, 15th rated Underwood, and the same Logan-Magnolia squad that ousted them in a regional final last year. Coach Vanderhoof says ball movement was among the biggest strengths during their hot streak. “We played pretty selfless and got the shots we needed at the times we needed. The Tri-Center game we kind of fell back a little bit and we were a little tired after some really big wins. We need to make sure we do the little things right and get back to defense being our focus. Getting defensive stops has really helped us in the last few weeks and that transitions to giving ourselves a chance on the offensive side.”
AHSTW is the #2 seed in Class 2A Region 5. They’ll be at home Tuesday night and would also play at home again on Friday if they beat the Roadrunners. “Interstate-35 really likes to get touches inside, so we want to make sure we are containing that. Their inside/outside game and reversal of it are really big for their offense. We have to keep that under control and our transition game. We need to be getting up the floor as much as we can.”
The winner opposes either Central Decatur or Mount Ayr later this week in the regional semi’s.
