The Exira-EHK Spartans Girls Basketball team had an excellent 2026 season that was capped off with their first State Tournament appearance in four seasons. They took home the Rolling Valley Conference Title with a perfect 14-0 conference record and finished the regular season with a 19-1 overall record. They took a 19-game win streak into the regional tournament, which they rolled through with ease and won the regional title for the first time since 2022, defeating GTRA 57-38. Despite falling to the reigning state champs St. Albert in the State quarterfinal, Head Coach Tom Petersen is proud of what his girls accomplished this season.

Taryn and Jaelynn Petersen were both named to Class 1A All-State Teams, with Taryn on First Team and Jaelyn on Third Team. Taryn was the leading scorer and one of the captains of this 2026 team who was behind a lot of the success that the Spartans had:

In her four years in the program, Jaelynn represented what it means to put in the work and improve each season:

Harlow Miller went out for basketball her freshman year, then not again until this year as a senior. She earned Second Team All-Conference this season and was one of the key players during the Spartans postseason run:

Exira-EHK had three seniors this season in Jaelyn Petersen, Kadence Sporrer and Harlow Miller. All three contributed largely to the success of the team over the course of the last four years. Coach Petersen knows younger players will have to step up in their absence next season:

Replicating success year over year is something Coach Tom Petersen is used to. He is excited about the younger talent coming back, specifically Zoey Rasmussen, who came off the bench and had multiple big moments during the Regional Tournament:

A conference title, a 22-game win streak and a State Tournament appearance finish off a phenomenal 2025-26 season for the Exira-EHK Girls Basketball Team. They finished the season 22-3 overall as the #6 seed in all of Class-1A.