Friday evening, Hitchcock County hosted Alma for an RPAC West versus RPAC East battle. It was a fairly long road trip for the Cardinals, but that didn't stop them from getting a pair of wins.
In the girls' game, Hitchcock County County did everything possible to keep up with the high-powered Cardinal attack but fell 59-32. Alma dominated the opening quarter, as they led 20-6. In the second quarter, Hitchcock County was able to slow down the Cardinals a little, allowing just 12 points. But the Falcons only yielded eight points of their own. It was 32-14 in favor of Alma at the half.
In the third quarter, Alma pushed their lead more, scoring 11 points while holding Hitchcock County to seven. It was 43-21 going to the final stanza. Alma found their offensive rhythm again in the fourth quarter, putting up 16 points. Hitchcock County had a solid output in the final quarter with 11 points.
Katie Jarecke led Hitchcock County with nine points. The Falcons fall to 5-8 and will play Paxton on Tuesday night at home.
Alma was led by both Addison Siebels and Tierston Moore with 16 points. They will play at Loomis on Thursday.
We caught up with Tierston Moore after the game and got her comments on the team's performance.
The boys' game was highly entertaining and was the definition of basketball. A game of runs. But, Alma captured the win, 58-44. In the first, it looked like Alma may pull away, but the Falcons minimized the damage and trailed 15-8 going into the second period.
In the next quarter, the teams were neck and neck, and Hitchcock County did outscore the Cardinals and trimmed the deficit down. It was 31-25 at the half. The third quarter was a lot like the first. Alma jumped out quickly. They even led 38-25 at one point, but an 11-0 run made it a two-point game.
From there, the Cardinals regained control of the game. The Cardinals began to grow that lead and went to the final quarter up 46-39. In the final quarter, Alma outscored the Falcons 12-5 in the fourth to secure the victory.
Jaxon Unrein had 21, including 13 in the second quarter. He hit five three-pointers in the game. The Falcons are 5-6 and will play Paxton on Tuesday at home.
Alma relied on spread-out scoring. Zavier Mitchell scored 13 points, Jakin Neal with 12, Titus Epp had 10, and Isaiah Neal had 10.
Alma is 13-1 and will be at Loomis on Thursday next week. We visited with Jakin Neal after the game. Check out his comments in the video below.