The Waverly-Shell Rock Girls Basketball team took down the Mason City Riverhawks in a 60-42 win for their first postseason game of the year.
The Go-Hawks, 18-2, hosted the 17-6 Riverhawks in a filled Go-Hawk gym on Saturday night, and with the win now play Cedar Rapids Xavier in the next round.
The Go-Hawks scored first with a three-pointer from Megan Heyer just over a minute into the game. A couple stops later, Megan Heyer made another three-point shot that extended the lead to 8 and forced the Riverhawks to take their first timeout of the game. Following the timeout, each team traded baskets to end the first quarter at a score of 15-5, with the Go-Hawks leading.
After the break, the Riverhawks’ sophomore guard Anna Latham hit a three to cut the lead to 7 points. The Go-Hawks responded with a three-pointer from the wing from senior Addie Kruse, and a couple of possessions later, Lizzy Frazell found Kruse for yet another three. Midway through the second quarter, the Go-Hawks’ defensive pressure proved to be too much for the Riverhawk offense, forcing a timeout. On the next possession, the Go-Hawk defense forced another turnover and got an open shot near the rim, but could not get it to fall.
With two minutes remaining in the half, Sydney Bienemann drove and kicked to an open Frazell, who capitalized with another three points shortly before half. On the next possession, Riverhawk guard Machaela Trask knocked down a deep three, which would be the Riverhawks’ last points before the break. For the Go-Hawks, however, Bienemann would cap off a 6-point run with a layup right before half, giving W-SR a 33-14 lead.
The Go-Hawks began the second half running a full-court press; something that was giving the Riverhawks troubles all game. Mason City began to find their rhythm against the pressure, scoring 5 points in the first two minutes of the half. The Go-Hawk defense showed to be strong as the quarter continued, not allowing Mason City to score until there were three minutes left in the quarter.
Offensively, W-SR found their mark, putting up another 15 points in the quarter. The Go-Hawks strung together multiple stops and found various ways to score, giving them a 24-point advantage against the Riverhawks, doubling their points. Heading into the fourth quarter, Mason City came out firing, scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter. The Go-Hawks struggled to match their attack but had enough of a lead to ice the game in the end.
As the final buzzer went off, the Go-Hawks ended the night with an 18-point win over Mason City. The Go-Hawks will travel to Cedar Rapids to face the Saints from Xavier in a game to clinch a spot in the state tournament.
