(Red Oak) The Atlantic girls’ basketball team overcame a slow start to defeat Red Oak on the road on Tuesday, 60-27.
Payton Harter led the Trojans with 20 points, and Makenna Schroeder added 13 to lead the Trojans. Jayden Lindsay led Red Oak with eight points, and Ellison Johnson scored seven.
Olivia Boswell and Emily Sebeneichers’ three-point shots vaulted the Tigers to an 8-1 lead early in the first quarter. The Trojans started gnawing away at the lead with inside passes to Paytn Harter, and Maddie Richter swished a three-pointer to put the Trojans on top 18-16 at the end of the first quarter.
“I don’t think we executed very well at the start of the first quarter,” said Atlantic Head Coach Dan Vargason. “We were forcing the ball through a double-teamed Paytn Harter. You can’t force the ball inside; swing it around and move it. Once we started getting the ball to Katrina Williams, she got the high-lows, and Makenna Schroeder did a great job scoring the ball.”
Schroeder found her groove in the second frame with three buckets from beyond the arc, and the Trojans executed the high-low play to Harter to near perfection; the Trojans outscored the Tigers 17-3 in the second quarter and broke open a 35-19 lead at the break, and 48-25 at the end of the third quarter.
The Trojans smothering defense limited the Tigers to six third-quarter points and just two free throws in the final frame for the 60-27 victory. This is the second win over the Tigers this season.
Harter had her points, but others stepped up and blew past their averages. Schroeder, averaging four points per game, scored 13; Katrina Williams had an outstanding game with 8 points, five points above her usual night. Zoey Kirchhoff, averaging 6.2 points, came away with 8. Claire Pellett scored 4, Maddie Richter, 3, Lila Wiederstein, 2, and Avery Knuth 1.
Besides Lindsay’s eight and Johnson’s 7, Merced Ramirez added 4, Olivia Boswell and Emily Sebeniecher 3, and Natalie Johnson chipped in two points for Red Oak.
The Trojans, 5-5 in the Hawkeye Ten and 7-12 overall, host Denison-Schleswig on Friday. It is pink-out night, senior night, and recognition of the 50th year of Atlantic High School girls’ basketball. All former players are invited to attend and will be recognized.
Red Oak, 3-15, travels to Missouri Valley on Thursday.