Fifth-ranked Warriors stumble in makeup game at City High

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Fifth-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington lost at Iowa City High in an overtime thriller, 66-57, in a makeup game on Monday night.

It was a tale of two games actually, as City High took advantage of nine Wash first quarter turnovers to build an early 13-2 lead. The Warriors fought back to trail 30-21 at the half, before taking a 43-41 lead midway through the fourth quarter on a Danielle Franklin three-pointer. The teams fought to a 51-51 draw at the end of regulation.

Washington Coach Frank Howell discussed the early miscues.

“It's tough when you get down 13-2 early. We sloppy with the ball, but I thought after the first half, we tightened that up.”

Howell felt that his team wasn't taking advantage of their early opportunities.

“Way too many empty possessions early on. It's tough to get into that kind of hole.”

The story of overtime was City High junior guard Mickey Hanshe, who went 10 for 10 from the free throw line.

“That was huge” said City High Coach Bill McTaggert. “The ball was in the hands of the right person for us there.”

“We had to foul in the overtime,” said Howell. “You can't always  control who you put on the line. She did an outstanding job in the OT.”

Hanshe led all scorers with 27 points, while sophomore forward Haley Lorenzen chipped in with 17. The Warriors were led in scoring by Tasha Roundtree's 23 points.

McTaggert said this was the kind of game he expected from Washington.

“They are a very good team, and very deep. I thought that we got a bit lackadaisical in the third quarter to let them back in, and other than the overtime, our free throw shooting wasn't great, but I was happy with the way things turned out.”

It doesn't get any easier for the Warriors, who will travel to Dubuque Tuesday night for a battle with Hempstead.

“We need a bounce back win on Tuesday,” Howell said.

With the win, Iowa City High moves to 12-4 overall, 7-4 in the MVC. Washington falls to 8-4 overall, 7-4 in conference play.