The Atlantic girls basketball team clamped down defensively against Kuemper Catholic in the second quarter and turned a 5-point lead after the first into a 9-point lead by half. The Trojans then battled away to a 55-44 victory on Friday night at Kuemper Catholic High School. The win brought relief and a boost of confidence for Head Coach Dan Vargason and his squad.

Paytn Harter had a solid night with 18 points and was a big part of the defensive pressure that flustered the Knights. Maddie Richter was also great defensively and finished with 13 points and 4 triples in the second half. A focus for the Trojans was holding onto the lead and keeping composure in high pressure situations. Atlantic had lost three previous games including against Kuemper Catholic while leading to start the fourth quarter. Coach Vargason said a major takeaway from the game is that the girls learned what they’re capable of when they stay in the moment and play together.

Atlantic improved to 4-9 on the season with the win and will now prep for a trip to Clarinda on Tuesday night.

Kuemper Catholic was led by 15 points from Elsa Tiefenthaler and the Knights fell to 3-7 on the season.