NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC junior Olivia Hala goes up for a shot against Meskwaki. Defending are Meskwaki junior Dorothy Bear (left) and sophomore Dayeci Davenport (right).

In a jam-packed and energetic STC High School gym, the Meskwaki Warriors and STC Trojans faced off in a key girls basketball matchup on Monday, Jan. 19. The Warriors used a stifling full-court press to defeat the Trojans in a low-scoring affair, 38-33.

The game favored the Trojans in the early going, with STC getting a 3-point basket by sophomore Cahysia Kapayou and a basket from sophomore Scout Ridout on back-to-back possessions. By the end of the first quarter, STC held a 9-5 advantage.

The Trojans dominated the second quarter, holding Meskwaki scoreless for the entire frame. Baskets by Kapayou, Ridout, and sophomore Stella Zmolek pushed the halftime score to 18-5 in favor of STC.

The Trojan lead swelled to as much as 15 points midway through the third quarter, when, after another Zmolek basket, STC led 27-12. But from that point on, the game belonged to the Warriors. Having forced six first-half turnovers off of their full-court press, the Warriors picked up the intensity again for the rest of the quarter. STC turned the ball over four times while pressed in the last two minutes of the third period, and Meskwaki had cut the lead to 27-21.

Early in the fourth quarter, Ridout, the Trojan’s leading scorer in the game, fouled out after the Warriors picked up a charging call off of their press. Ridout’s ball-handling ability was missed, as STC continued to struggle with Meskwaki’s press, turning the ball over five more times in the early stages of the quarter.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC sophomore Stella Zmolek looks to get around Meskwaki freshman Bree Scabbyrobe (left) and sophomore Dayeci Davenport (right).

After back-to-back three point baskets by Warrior junior Eva Roberts and freshman Bree Scabbyrobe, Meswaki took their first lead of the game, 31-28. STC was forced to foul late in the game, and the Warriors converted their free-throws to hold on for the victory, 38-33.

On the night, the Trojans were led in scoring by Ridout with 9 points. Kapayou and junior Olivia Hala added 8 points each. Zmolek (6 points) and senior Rylee Ridout (2 points) rounded out the Trojans’ scoring. Zmolek (9), Rylee Ridout (6), and Hala (6) led the team in rebounding. Scout Ridout recorded an impressive 6 steals during the matchup. STC was hurt by 30 turnovers on the night, many of them coming as a result of Meskwaki’s full-court pressure.

The Warriors were led in scoring by freshman Martha Blackcloud, who poured in 14 points. Junior Dorothy Bear added 11 points, with Roberts (5 points), Scabbyrobe (4 points), and sophomore Dayeci Davenport (4 points) adding to Meskwaki’s totals. With the victory — and another win later in the week against BCLUW — the Warriors pushed their season record to 11-2.

Up next for the STC girls basketball team (4-10) is a trip to Benton on Friday, Jan. 30, to face the Bobcats. This will be followed by a game at Grinnell (Tuesday, Feb. 3), and their final regular-season home game of the year: Friday, Feb. 6, against the current #1 team in Class 3A — Clear Creek-Amana.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC junior Mady Boriskey looks to pass around Meskwaki junior Isabella Kapayou.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC sophomore Scout Ridout leads the fastbreak against Meskwaki.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC sophomore Cahysia Kapayou shoots over Meskwaki junior defender Isabella Bear.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC senior Rylee Ridout puts up a shot against Meskwaki.