(Elk Horn, IA) – With their fourth-quarter momentum, the Exira-EHK Spartans are moving on to the next round of regional basketball action after defeating AHSTW 52-34. These girls pushed tempo while pushing the basketball down the court, something that Head Coach Tom Petersen was proud that his girls were able to do.
AHSTW continued to put pressure on Exira-EHK all night, especially when it came to driving through the perimeter as the Spartans had to work for it. The only downfall for the Lady Vikes was that they couldn’t hit the open looks when it mattered most.
Exira-EHK featured three double-digit scorers on the night as Jaelynn Petersen had 14 points alongside Taryn Petersen with a total of 13 points on the night. One player that stood out from her average was Harlee Fahn as she knocked down 11 points on the night and had over her average in scoring in the first half alone.
Fahn had been previously struggling on the outside of the perimeter, shooting just 13% on the season from beyond the arc. With Tuesday night’s effort from the three-point line, you would’ve thought the three-pointer was her key shot.
The junior also has experience with success in the past with other Exira-EHK teams who continued to push down to the regional final and she utilized it in Tuesday’s second-round of regional action.
Looking down the line for Exira-EHK, the Spartans also featured Riley Miller with five points as Kadence Sporrer, Hannah Nelson, and Mayne Jorgensen all had three points to finish off the night.
AHSTW was led in scoring by Ava Paulsen as she pushed far beyond expectations with 12 points on the night while playing in a tough offensive and defensive role. Right behind her was Delaney Goshorn with 11 points while Saydi Paulsen knocked in six points on the night. Graycen Partlow and Ella Langer finished off scoring with three and two points respectively.
While the Spartans are enjoying this win, they are looking ahead to the next round as they battle Treynor, who just beat Shenandoah 61-57 on Tuesday. This game may be the toughest test in the whole regional bracket.
Exira-EHK will travel to Treynor on Friday, February 16th to take on the Cardinals, with an opening tipoff at 7:00 p.m.
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