Sarah Schmitt’s late free throws boost Prairie

CEDAR RAPIDS — The whistle surprised Sarah Schmitt a bit.

'I didn't think they were going to call it,' Schmitt said of a call that sent her to the line for three free throws in the final seconds of a tie game.

The moment wasn't too big for her.

Schmitt cashed in all three shots to break the tie, and Cedar Rapids Prairie tripped Class 5A No. 15 Cedar Rapids Washington, 68-63, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls' basketball thriller Friday night at Prairie High School.

'I was a little nervous,' said Schmitt, a sophomore guard who already has received an offer from Northern Iowa. 'I went to the line and went through my little routine. The first one bounced around a little bit before going in.'

The next two provided less suspense.

It wasn't always pretty (the teams combined for 41 turnovers), but Friday's contest was always entertaining. The game featured seven ties and 10 lead changes, and neither team led by more than eight points.

'These are the fun ones to be a part of,' Prairie Coach Josh Bentley said. 'I just let the kids play and shut my mouth.'

'It was so much fun,' said Schmitt, who led all scorers with 24 points. 'We played good games with Washington last year, but we couldn't beat them.'

The Hawks (2-5 overall, 2-2 MVC) trailed 54-49 late in the third quarter, but rallied for a 56-56 tie heading into the final period. They led throughout most of the quarter, then Washington's Vanessa Eniola tied it at 63-all with an old-fashioned 3-point play with 1:36 to go.

Both teams had multiple chances for the lead before Schmitt was fouled by Eniola while following through on a long-range attempt with 20 seconds left.

'There were so many plays that could have gone either way,' Washington Coach Chris James said. 'That's the way it's going to be (in the MVC) this year. This league can humble you, but it will definitely make you better.'

Prairie's Halle Person tacked on two more free throws with 1 second left to ice it. Person came off the bench to supply 12 points and nine rebounds, and Sid McCrea added 10 points.

Caitlin Riley paced Washington (3-2, 2-2) with 16 points. Jayla Pledge-Johnson added 15 points and nine boards, and Eniola tallied 13.

Washington is at Moline (Ill.). Prairie's next game is Tuesday at Cedar Falls.

CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE 68, CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON 63

At C.R. Prairie

C.R. WASHINGTON (63): Caitlin Riley 6-9 1-2 16, Vanessa Eniola 5-13 2-3 13, Sandra Mia 3-8 1-3 7, Jayla Pledge-Johnson 6-10 2-3 15, Aubrey Moore 1-2 0-0 2, Grace Carey 0-0 0-0 0, Brittany Hoeger 1-4 0-1 2, Isabel Truemper 3-4 0-0 8, Devon O'Donnell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-50 6-12 63.

C.R. PRAIRIE (68): Sarah Schmitt 7-16 6-7 24, Sid McCrea 4-7 0-0 10, Mallory McDermott 2-13 3-4 8, Rachael Kilpatrick 1-1 0-0 2, Jenna Wagemester 3-9 2-3 8, Halle Person 3-7 6-7 12, Makenna Moenk 0-2 2-4 2, Lauren Kuch 0-0 0-0 0, Maggie Lampe 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 20-55 21-27 68.

Halftime: Prairie 40, Washington 39. 3-point goals: Washington 7-18 (Riley 3-6, Eniola 1-4, Pledge-Johnson 1-3, Hoeger 0-3, Truemper 2-2), Prairie 7-15 (Schmitt 4-6, McCrea 2-3 McDermott 1-6). Team fouls: Washington 21, Prairie 15. Fouled out: Eniola, Mia, McCrea. Rebounds: Washington 32 (Pledge-Johnson 9), Prairie 34 (Person 9). Assists: Washington 12 (Eniola, Mia 3), Prairie 8 (McCrea 3). Steals: Washington 13 (Riley 4), Prairie 13 (McCrea, McDermott, Kilpatrick 3). Turnovers: Washington 22, Prairie 19.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com