Trojans and Bolts split in second doubleheader meet up
The Trojans and Bolts met again at the West high gym on Feb. 3. The first time these teams met since their last face-off on Dec. 9 2022.
February 5, 2023
Girls fall to Liberty
Coming off an amazing win against Western Dubuque on Tuesday night, Nate Frese’s team was back at home on Friday night to kick off the first game of the doubleheader against the Bolts.
Iowa City West vs. Liberty – Gates open at 5:15 in both the front & back entrances.
HS students will need to show an ID & have an athletic pass or pay $5
JH students will need an ID & be accompanied by an adult to enter.
Adults $6 Students/Sr. Citizens $5 pic.twitter.com/lzL5qzKiSO— Iowa City West Athletics (@ICWestAthletics) February 3, 2023
Junior Lucy Wolf put the first points of the game on the board, making two free throws to start off the high-energy match. But Liberty senior Jasmine Barney answered right back, showing that the Bolts did not come to mess around.
Liberty kept the energy up and with 30 seconds left in the first quarter, the Trojans were trailing 13-24. With an assist from Keiko Ono-Fullard ’23, Wolf was able to make a three-pointer, closing out the first quarter with Liberty having a 10-point lead.
Senior Meena Tate came out fighting in the second quarter with another assist from Ono-Fullard. Wolf continued that trend and was able to put points on the board for the girls. Junior Melae’ Lacy also put points on the board, helping to close the gap. West was now only 5 points behind the bolts with 3 minutes left in the half. But Bolt’s defense quickly shut West’s offense down and the girls walked into the locker room trailing 28-40.
The third quarter was filled with a lot of back and forth. A free throw from Tate put West at 39-53 with four minutes left in the corner and Ono-Fullard was able to catapult the girls into 40 points, ultimately ending the third-quarter 42-58.
The intensity of the last quarter showed these cross-town rivals’ deep rivalry as the Trojans fought to keep their win from Dec. 9 when these teams last met. West was not able to keep up as the Bolts wanted to get back that loss and the Trojans fell 60-72.
You can catch the girls back home on Feb. 7 against Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
Boys take down the Bolts
Shortly after the girl’s game, the boy’s game was underway. West High’s acapella group Vox Novus sang the National Anthem and the game commenced for these cross-town rivals.
Powerhouse sophomore Jack McCaffrey quickly made himself a standout in this game, scoring 5 points in the first 30 seconds. Liberty quickly answered and the game was tied 12-12 with two minutes left. McCaffrey made another 3-pointer pulling the Trojans ahead 17-14 with one minute left in the first quarter. The Trojans ended the first quarter narrowly trailing Liberty 17-19.
Liberty senior Da’Shon Fisher came out fighting in the second quarter putting a few points up for Liberty. Jacob Koch ’24 answered right back with a three-pointer. Liberty kept up this strength until West called a timeout while trailing 22-29.
After the timeout West brought the energy, sending them into the Locker room with a 35-34 lead at the half.
West started off the second half strong, scoring 7 points in the first minute. Kareem Earl ’24 scored a three-pointer growing the lead to 53-36 against the Bolts. The third quarter ended with a three-pointer from McCaffrey sending the boys into the last quarter with a 61-47 lead.
The student section and pep band kept the energy on the court alive and the boys walked away with a 72-57 win against Liberty.
Boys Basketball (Varsity) Score Posted – Iowa City West Trojans defeat Iowa City Liberty Lightning 72-57. https://t.co/hTk4csJRBD pic.twitter.com/1Y7kvAsP2U
— Iowa City West Athletics (@ICWestAthletics) February 4, 2023
Catch the boys for their senior night on Feb.16 against Dubuque Senior.