The Remsen St. Mary’s girls basketball team defeated George-Little Rock 52-38 on Wednesday night and qualified for the state tournament for the second consecutive season.
The Hawks run a lineup of six seniors on to the floor on a regular basis with five of them starting. One of those seniors, Mya Bunkers, says this year’s run is special knowing that it will be the last time to do it with her buddies.
After reaching the state semifinals last year, the Hawks did not need to talk about what the goal was for this season. Head coach Scott Willman says it was an understood goal of getting back to state, and the Hawks worked hard to get it done.
Earlier in the year, the Hawks held George-Little Rock to just 33 points showing their defensive prowess. That defense came to play once again as the Hawks held the Mustangs to just 14 points on 14 shot attempts in the first half. Coach Willman says the defensive effort was lacking just one thing in the first half, and that was rebounding.
The talent the Mustangs brought came in the post from Lindsey Haken and Hadley Madsen. They were limited to a non-factor in the game thanks to the stifling Hawk defense. Claire Schroeder had the assignment of guarding Haken, but she gave the credit to her teammates who she trusts in to make a play if she cannot.
The second half also brought with it an offensive resurgence for Schroeder. She had 15 points for the game with eight coming in the third quarter alone. Schroeder had not scored in double figures in any of the last three games, and she says it was a relief to finally see the ball go through the hoop.
The Hawks finished with three players in double figures led by Schroeder and Mya Bunkers’ 15 points apiece. Coach Willman says Schroeder’s and her teammates’ performances came from a very focused couple of practices.
The Hawks enter the state tournament as the third seed and the only unbeaten in the Class 1A field. Coach Willman knows the target on their back will be big, but he is confident the Hawks will not overlook any team when they are down there.
Bunkers says getting off to a good start like they did against George-Little Rock will be a big key to success.
The Hawks will face off with Martensdale-St. Marys in the state quarterfinal round. The game is schedule for a 6:45 PM start on Wednesday, February 28. KLEM Radio will have live coverage of the game from Des Moines.
