M-C Girls Stun R-P

Sports and injuries are synonymous with one another. Players get hurt. It is an unfortunate part of the game. Again, a key R-P athlete has been befallen by injury. Where the Trojans’ girls’ game with Mabel-Canton would’ve went had Mikayla Crawford not hurt her ankle, is unknown. Where it went once she was out, is known. The Cougars pounced on at an opportunity and pulled an (asterisked) upset, doing something they haven’t in a long time. R-P’s third-year stand-out point guard, their second leading scorer, went down early in the first half. The Trojans were up a couple buckets. By halftime, M-C led by as many (30-26). The Cougars controlled the second half. Early in the stanza, they scored on four consecutive possessions, including hitting their first two triples of the game. The 10-0 run put the lead into double digits at 40-28. Pressed by being down, without a key on-court general and leader, R-P couldn’t rally. Spurred by being up, with on-court leaders and team chemistry, M-C was able to roll. They converged defensively on Trojan leading scorer Brianna Koop. The Cougars shot very well. A “no-no-no, yes!” three-pointer by 8th grader Kenidi McCabe with just over 3-left put M-C up 54-40. A Lexi Thorson three a possession later made it academic (57-42). After going 0-for-5 from distance in the first half, M-C went 5-for-7 in the second. A 61-43 Cougar win was a stunning turn of events. Seniors Coranda Vickerman (23 pts, 10-14 FGs, 13 rebs, 3 assists, 3 stls) and Courtney Graves (15 pts, 10 rebs) each posted double-doubles. Payton Danielson (10 pts, eight in second half, 4 rebs, 4 assist, 3 stls) and Thorson (8 pts) helped out. The Trojans were led by Koop (16 pts, 9 rebs, 6 stls) and Savannah Skalet (16 pts, 4 stls). M-C hit 13 of 21 field goals in the second. They were 25 of 50 for the game (50%). R-P was 14 of 58 (25.1%). It’s M-C’s first win over R-P since a sub-section semifinal victory in 2004. Cougar coach Adam Wilder was himself in high school. The Trojans had won 15 in a row over M-C, average margin of victory 23.8. The Trojans join La Crescent and Spring Grove as teams the Wilder/Vickerman Cougars have ended long program losing streaks against the past two seasons. M-C is 0-1, 2-1. R-P is 2-1, 3-2.