The Griswold Tigers Girls Basketball team is moving on to the 2nd round of the Regional Tournament! They pulled out a 41-37 victory over the Diagonal Maroons. It was an incredible back and forth game, with no team leading by more than 5 points all night. Amanda Houser was the team’s leading scorer with 17. The Tigers hit huge shots late in the fourth quarter to take the lead and pull out the 4 point win over Diagonal.

In the first half the game was incredibly even. It was tied after one quarter at 8 points a piece. Neither team was able to put together a great offensive attack until the second half. Atlantic was showing their full court press early and creating an aggressive form of defense early. They were forcing multiple turnovers, and after one half the Tigers led 20-18 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the game was as close as the first half, but each team went on a run of their own. Griswold scored a few points early on to take a 22-18 lead and looked like they had a lot of momentum, but Diagonal came storming back. The Maroons went on an 8-0 run to take a 26-22 lead. Griswold started to heat up again from beyond the arc and they took the lead late in the third quarter and went into the fourth up 31-29.

The 4th quarter was very much the same as the rest of the game. Diagonal did go on a quick run and led 37-33 with just a few minutes to go. Amanda Houser had 4 fouls but came in the game and immediately hit a three pointer to bring it within one. Then with 2 minutes to go, Carsyn Adams took the ball across half court and pull up for three and made it to take the lead. Zoey Amos made a layup to make it 41-37 and Griswold rode that score to the end. This victory was one that made Coach Aaron Houser very happy for his team.

Coach Houser thought the team sticking to their identity was the biggest factor in their victory:

It was the belief in each other that allowed the Tigers to be so successful:

Coach Houser was proud of how Amanda Houser shot the ball late in the game:

The Griswold Tigers will head to Extra-EHK for their second round regional matchup on Tuesday, February 17th at 7pm

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.