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The Pretty Prairie girls basketball team kept a one-possession advantage throughout most of its match against Attica Tuesday evening, eventually putting the opposing team away 37-35.
The home Bulldog squad pulled away in the fourth quarter, amassing a seven-point lead. But missed opportunities at the foul line for Pretty Prairie enabled Attica to bring it back within two. Attica failed to capitalize on its final possession, handing the win to Pretty Prairie.
While Pretty Prairie’s struggles at the foul line in the final stanza caused the most worries, head coach C.T. Young noted that the charity stripe plagued them throughout the evening.
“We missed 17 free-throws, and when you miss 17 free-throws, you’re lucky if you can win at all. I guess we should be thankful that we won by two,” said Young. “We did a great job of getting the ball where we wanted to and drawing the fouls, but we just didn’t convert at the free-throw line.”
Pretty Prairie closed the first quarter with a 9-6 advantage, but saw its cushion get reduced to one point at the half, 18-17.
Attica came back after the break and saw a pair of lead changes, before Pretty Prairie regained the lead, which it held throughout the game.
The home Bulldog squad saw several players step up, as freshman Kristin Haflich and junior Selena Wapelhorst both reached double figures, scoring 16 and 13, respectively.
With leading scorer and rebounder Tiffani Hines sidelined by injuries, Pretty Prairie team members have had to adjust to some new roles. They responded to the changes well last week, but Young said Tuesday night proved to be more difficult.
“It depends on the day. We had been playing pretty well defensively, but tonight we didn’t play as well as we are capable of playing. Even the girls that are playing aren’t very healthy. Every day they’re adjusting to a different role, and I’m proud of them for doing that. We just have to play harder for longer stretches of time,” said Young.
Attica was led in scoring by junior Morgan Grigsby with 12. Freshman Brooke Ricke added 10.