By Stacey Fisher
Freelance reporter
Special to the Tribune

The Skyline High School girls’ basketball Team finished the season with a couple of sub-state games on the road. On Monday (February 24), they traveled to Pretty Prairie to compete in the first round against the hometown Bulldogs. Skyline was seeded in the 11 position in the tournament, with Pretty Prairie ranked at number 6. That was not the only factor working against the Thunderbirds. In previous match-ups between Pretty Prairie and Skyline, the Thunderbirds came out on the losing end. Also adding to the drama of the quarterfinal game was the obvious advantage that came with the Bulldogs playing on their homecourt. Coming off a four-game losing streak, it was time for the Birds to put up or go home. Skyline did just that. They stepped up their game, tightened their defense and hung with Pretty Prairie until late in the game.

“I felt like we finally put together the most complete game that we have played all year,” said Head Coach Jill Nech. “The girls continued to battle even when we got down. We didn’t get down [for long] and kept coming back with a run. We did a great job of taking care of the ball down the stretch and put our free throws in.”

Throughout the game, the Thunderbirds were unshakable. Every time the Bulldogs would get a little breathing room, Skyline refused to go away. The first quarter ended 11-13 in favor of the Bulldogs. Pretty Prairie stretched their lead another two points, going into halftime up 29-25. The third quarter ended with Skyline down by just three points, 34-37. The last quarter of play belonged to the Thunderbirds as they held their opponents to just 7 points while scoring over double that, bringing the final score to 49-44 for Skyline. This win secured a game in the semi-finals for the Thunderbirds against Spearville High.

“We came out ready to play last night [Monday, February 24],” said senior Ashley Spease. “We shot the ball really well and persevered when we were down. [We were] able to control the game at the end and maintain the lead with some clutch free throws. I’m super proud of this group of girls and excited for the game on Saturday against my hometown, the Spearville Lancers, potentially ending my basketball career where it first started.”