A back and forth game turned into a double digit victory for Atlantic thanks to a great 4th quarter effort. Harlan held a 34-28 lead after three quarters, but a 21-4 4th quarter propelled the Trojans to an 11 point win against their rival Harlan. Peyton McLaren led the Trojans in scoring with 13 and Makenna Schroeder had 9. Atlantic moved the ball around well all night and spread the offense around and paired that with a great defensive effort in the 2nd half.

In the first half, both sides were pretty even, with neither side pulling away. The Trojans were very impressive in their ball movement, with Madison McLaren getting it inside to Katrina Williams and Brynn Lamp for easy buckets. Atlantic played strong defense as well, only allowing 21 points in the first half and held a lead going into the second half. It would be the ball movement that set Atlantic apart in the first half and easy shot attempts that would propel them the rest of the game.

The third quarter was really the only part of the game that didn’t go Atlantic’s way. They got outscored 13-4 and and were put in a 6 point deficit by quarter’s end. The shots that were there in the first half didn’t exist in the third quarter, with a lot of easy looks being passed up. Atlantic struggled with turnovers and Harlan couldn’t miss. Atlantic led in all other quarters beside the third. It was the best Harlan quarter of the game, but Atlantic would have an answer in the 4th.

The 4th quarter was exactly what the Trojans were looking for as a response to the 3rd. They went on a 21-4 run to end the game, making everything look easy. Both Peyton and Madison McLaren led the offense with scoring and ball movement. They involved Williams and Lamp to open up the perimeter. It felt like a whole team effort to end the game and gave Atlantic a 49-38 win over their Harlan. Coach Varagson is impressed with how his squad can come away with a victory.

One player stood out above the rest to Coach Vargason tonight:

The 4th Quarter push is what Coach Vargason was impressed with the most:

The Atlantic Trojans Girls team starts their playoff journey when they host Van Meter on Saturday, February 14th in the first round of the 3A Regional Tournament.

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