Eagles win with big fourth quarter

Girls basketball

     Midland scored its second win of the season as part of a two-game week against Tri-Rivers Conference, East Division foes last week.

     The Eagles (2-3 division, 2-10 overall) played host to Easton Valley Jan. 12 in Wyoming, and won by a score of 44-35. Midland trailed the River Hawks 27-25 after three quarters, but outscored them 19-8 in the fourth quarter.

     A couple of key plays in the fourth quarter helped seal the win for the Eagles. Amaya Terrell stole the ball, drove down the floor, and passed to Ella Rupp, who drove the lane and sank a floater, getting fouled in the process, and converted the free throw for a three-point play.

     Then, Gracie Franzen came off the bench to sink a corner jump shot.

     “To me those two moments, along with clutch free throw shooting, helped seal the victory,” Midland coach Jason Soper said.

     The Eagles were 14-for-18 from the free throw line (77.8 percent). Rupp finished with 19 points, Terrell had 12, and Ari Hacke scored eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Bailie Uppena had seven rebounds, Jaden Gatts had six and Allison Paulsen had five.

     On Jan. 15, the Eagles played host to Lisbon, and lost a 50-35 decision. Midland was outscored 13-3 in the second quarter to fall behind by 18. Rupp had 12 points and six rebounds in that one. Hacke had nine points, six rebounds and five assists. Paulsen had eight points and five blocks. Uppena pulled down seven rebounds. Hannah Fishwild came off the bench to score four points.

     “We put together a good fourth quarter, but the third quarter deficit was too much to overcome,” coach Soper said.

Wrestling

     Midland swept Maquoketa Valley and Central City in a double dual meet Jan. 14 in Wyoming. Because of low numbers for both Eagle opponents, there were many forfeits. Of the seven matches that were contested, Midland won six.

     Against Maquoketa Valley, Midland won 54-18. Winning by fall were Caden Ballou, Cayden Miller, Damon Huston and Jared Crock. The Eagles also received five forfeit victories.

     In a 48-6 win over Central City, only three matches were contested on the mat, with Jordan Buford and Crock both winning by fall for the Eagles.

     Huston’s win against MV tied the school record for wins at 159, set by Kyle Pegorick, and he then broke the record with a forfeit win against Central City.

     On Jan. 16, the Eagles competed in the 12-team Cascade Invitational, and finished seventh with 88 points. Union of LaPorte City won the tournament wih 201 points, and Western Dubuque was a close second with 196.5.

     Damon Huston, now 24-1, was champion at 126 pounds. Reaching the finals and placing second were Caden Ballou at 160 and Cayden Miller at 182. Shayden Hansen was sixth at 120.

     “We only had nine scoring wrestlers in the tournament due to mid-season injuries,” Midland coach Casey Huston said. “Several of the wrestlers battled through some minor injuries on the day. Having a gym without fans was a new experience for the boys.”

Boys basketball

     Two contests against Tri-Rivers Conference East Division opponents made up the week for the Midland boys basketball team.

     The Eagles (1-5 division, 3-9 overall) opened the week with a home game against Easton Valley Jan. 12, and lost 83-31. The River Hawks pulled away with a 50-14 scoring advantage in the second half. For the Eagles, Iziek Soper scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds. Warren Etten had eight points. Jon Thomsen blocked two shots.

     Midland then played host to Lisbon Jan. 15, and lost 57-25. Leading scorers for the Eagles were Soper with 12 points, Thomsen with six and Sauer with five.