It’s always said that beating the same team three times in a single season is a tough feat, and Mid-Prairie found that out Saturday night in Wellman. After trailing for most of the game, the Golden Hawks took the lead for good with 1:12 left and hung on for a 33-31 win to advance to the regional quarter-finals Tuesday. Mid-Prairie (18-5) got 12 points from Mallory McArtor, 10 in the first half, and Maria Swartzentruber poured in all 10 of her points in the second half en-route to the third win over West Branch (14-10) this season, none by more than four points. The low scoring affair was marked by some sloppy play by Mid-Prairie, who relied on their defense and charity stripe success to turn the tide. Erika Murphy hit 4-of-4 from the line in the fourth quarter and the Redlinger twins combined to hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to conserve the lead.
Mid-Prairie is back in action Tuesday night at Iowa City-Regina. The Golden Hawks split the season series against fellow conference co-champion with each team winning on the others floor. KCII will have live coverage starting at 6:30.