The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk girls basketball team is looking to stay sharp over break. They will be in Ottumwa today for scrimmages against the Bulldogs, Van Buren and North Mahaska.

Mid-Prairie enters the holiday break with a 7-3 overall record after beating Northeast Goose Lake last time out 65-38. On the year the Golden Hawks are led by Shae Becker averaging 14 points per game, sixth most in the River Valley Conference. Becker also leads the Golden Hawks on the boards with 64 rebounds, eighth in the RVC. Kessa Jones leads Mid-Prairie with 22 assists, eighth most in the RVC.

Ottumwa comes into play with an overall record of 6-3. In their last game before break they were beaten by Des Moines East 65-56. For the season the Bulldogs are led by Lily Anderson, scoring 15 points per game, third most in the Central Iowa Metro League. Anderson also leads the Bulldogs with 73 rebounds, fifth most in the CIML. Kylee Bix paces the Bulldogs with 41 assists, third most in the CIML.

Van Buren enters break with an overall mark of 8-2. The Warriors are ranked No. 13 in class 2A in the latest poll from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. In their last game before break they were beaten by Burlington Notre Dame 50-47. For the season the Warriors are led by Taryn Scheuermann who leads the Superconference South and is second in 2A scoring 23 points per game. Scheuermann also leads the Warriors on the glass with 99 boards for the year, best in the Superconference and seventh in 2A. Madison Bartholomew is best for Van Buren and tops in the Superconference with 42 assists.

North Mahaska comes into action with an overall record of 7-2. They are currently ranked No. 10 in class 1A in the latest poll from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. In their final game before break they beat Keota 53-12. On the season the Lady Warhawks are led by Kassidi Steel at 14 points per game, third in the South Iowa Cedar League. Steel is also the team leader in assists with 30, fourth in the SICL and on the glass with 56 rebounds. 10th in the SICL.

This week Mid-Prairie head coach Stephen Bender talked about what he is looking for from his team and what will make the day a success. “I’d like to see us compete with all of those teams. Competing every possession, if we do that it’s a step forward for us. Offensively we really struggled against pressure. I want to see how our kids handle that and scoring in the half court.”

Action continues all day at Ottumwa High School.