(Denison) The Atlantic girls’ basketball team held off Denison-Schleswig’s second-half rally and defeated the Monarchs 57-49 at Denison on Tuesday night. The last time the Trojans topped Denison-Schleswig was in 2016.
Three players scored in double-figures for the Trojans. Paytn Harder led the visitors with 18 points, Maddie Richter came off the bench and contributed 14, and Jada Jensen scored 13. Olivia Meyer led the home team with 13, Kiana Schulz, 8, and Whitlee Auen finished the game with 7.
The Trojans fell behind early in the first quarter until sophomore Maddie Richter came off the bench and knocked down two-three-point baskets boosting her team to a 12-10 first-quarter lead.
“Those two buckets were huge,” said Atlantic Head Coach Dan Vargason.” We know she can shoot, you got to have players that can hit shots, and she does it in practice, scrimmages, and now in games.”
The Trojans broke out to an 11-2 run in the second quarter spurred by Jada Jensen and Maddie Huddleson’s three-point baskets, Richter’s two field goals, and two-for-two from the free throw line. Besides the Trojans scoring prowess, they put their foot on the throttle with pressure defense.
“The one-two-two zone became more effective in the second quarter,” said Vargason. “It’s one of those things; early on, teams can pick it apart, and if you run it well enough, the other team starts to have breakdowns. I thought our conditioning showed in the second quarter, and we finished shots.”
The Trojans led 33-20 at the break and opened up a 42-25 lead in the second half, only to see that lead whittle away to three points midway through the fourth quarter. The Monarchs went on a terror offensively, hitting four three-point baskets in the third frame and three more in the final stanza. Schulz and Meyer hit two from behind the arc, and Madison Inman, Claire Leinen, and Whitlee Auen dropped the other three long-range bombs.
“They couldn’t miss, it didn’t matter whether we had a hand in their face, and one of the players launched a bomb from four feet behind the three-point line, and somehow it went in,” said Vargason. “Their second-half run sparked their crowd, but our players kept their composure, didn’t get rattled.”
Keira Olson and Aubrey Guyer sank two free throws down the stretch to keep the home team at arm’s length and push their lead to a 57-49 final.
“It is one of those things; it is hard to win on the road in the Hawkeye Ten. This is a team that’s had our number,” said Vargason. “We haven’t beaten them since 2016; until now, they had beaten us in 23 out of the last 28 games. So this is a big monkey off our back.”
Next up for the Trojans is a home game against non-conference opponent ACGC on Tuesday, November 29. The Monarchs host OABCIG.
