Girls basketball falls short against Cedar Falls
Concluding the first week back from winter break, the girls basketball team faced off with Cedar Falls Jan. 13.
Grace Fincham ’26 dribbles the ball Jan. 13 in the West High Main Gym while facing off against Cedar Falls.
January 14, 2023
Coming off of a dominant win over cross-town rival City High Jan. 8, the girls basketball team was ready for a battle against the Cedar Falls Tigers Jan. 13. With a four-game win streak coming into the game, the Tigers were just as prepared to fend off the Trojans though.
Following seniors Himani Laroia and Kaitlyn Schmidt-Rundell’s singing of the National Anthem, the ball was tipped off, and Cedar Falls took the first possession.
Eventually, after many scoreless possessions from both teams, Carnegie Mellon commit Anna Prouty ’23 scored a crucial layup to make the score 8-6. Shortly after, Grinnell commit Carolyn Pierce ’23 nailed a three-pointer to end the first quarter with a leading score of 11-8.
Early in the second quarter, freshman phenom Grace Fincham got the score to 13-10 with a rebound. However, strong defense from both teams kept the score close going into the half. With a layup from Prouty, the Trojans reached halftime with a one-point lead 18-17.
The halftime show consisted of a sassy, fun performance from West High’s cheerleading team joined by children from across the Iowa City community. The second half then began with two from Dartmouth commit Meena Tate ’23 to get to 20-17.
From there, the Trojans were only able to score two more points in the third quarter after a fast break down the court by Tate led to a rebound from Prouty. Going into the final quarter, West High faced a five-point deficit at 22-27.
Soon after, Cedar Falls gained momentum, taking an 11-point lead 22-33. After being fouled, Tate made both free throws to bring the score to 24-33. A little later, Tate also made a three-pointer to bring the score to 29-35.
But, with only 1 minute and 32 seconds left on the clock, Cedar Falls was able to run the clock down and make the final score of the game, bringing the tough face-off to an end at 29-38. 90 minutes away in Cedar Falls, the boys basketball team also lost in a close battle to the Tigers 51-54.
With many games still to come this season, there are sure to be a lot of exciting moments left in store for the girls and boys basketball teams and fans alike. Catch the girls team back in action Jan. 14 at 4:30 in the West High Main Gym versus Marion, and cheer on the boys team Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. 40 minutes away at Linn Mar.
