Tipton prevails in back-and-forth River Valley South Division showdown

TIPTON — Matt Bolger was hoping to get through the game with a dry shirt.

No chance.

The gym was hot, the stakes were high and the game went down to the final possession.

Class 3A No. 11 Tipton got a stop on Mid-Prairie’s final set, and edged the 13th-ranked Golden Hawks, 46-44, in a River Valley Conference South Division girls basketball game Friday night at Tipton Middle School.

“It’s amazing,” Tipton’s Jordyn Schmidt said after a 13-point, nine-rebound outing, one which pushed her over the 500-point mark plateau.

“We’ve worked really hard for this, and (the outcome) proves that.”

Tipton (12-1 overall, 7-0 RVC South) won its ninth consecutive game and reached the midpoint of the divisional slate. But the Golden Hawks (7-5, 5-2) made the Tigers earn it, and made Bolger sweat.

“(Mid-Prairie) is a super-physical team. Well-coached,” Bolger said. “They had gone through a rough week. Somebody told me they were reeling. But I knew better.

“I expected a tussle. I was hoping to not sweat through my shirt ... yeah, I’m wet.”

The game featured nine lead changes, three in the final 4 minutes.

Mid-Prairie’s Morgyn Bender hit a 3-pointer to put the Golden Hawks in front 44-43 with 1:25 left, then Averie Bolger answered with a trey 10 seconds later — her only field goal of the night — to swing the pendulum back in Tipton’s favor.

Then the Tigers relied on their defense to make it stand, blocking the Golden Hawks’ final 3-point try in the final seconds.

Tipton had gone without a 3-pointer for the first 25-plus minutes. But Ella Hein hit a pair of them in the fourth quarter, including one that gave the Tigers a 41-39 advantage with 3:50 left.

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“We came in pretty slow,” Hein said. “I was very nervous. My coach and teammates talked me through it. Once I hit the first one, I got my confidence back.”

Hein finished with 11 points (10 in the second half). Freshman Zane Ehler also tallied 11 to complement Schmidt in the paint.

“She helps so much,” Schmidt said of the rookie. “She looks up to me. We have that connection.”

Bender paced Mid-Prairie with 13 points. Brooklyn Schneider added 10, Jovi Evans nine (along with five assists and four steals).

“We’re all about using our quickness,” Mid-Prairie Coach Jenny Hobbs said. “We’re kind of banged up, so we didn’t even press tonight.

“I’m proud of our intensity.”

Both teams held six-points lead early — Tipton got up 9-3, then Mid-Prairie countered for an 18-12 advantage. The Tigers closed the first half with an 11-3 surge and led 23-21 at halftime.

It was back and forth the rest of the way. Mid-Prairie led by four points on four occasions, the last at 37-33.

Schmidt’s basket put Tipton in front, 43-39, with 2:35 left.

The rematch is Feb. 3 at Wellman.

Tipton 46, Mid-Prairie 44

At Tipton

MID-PRAIRIE (44): Katelyn Harland 0-3 0-0 0, Jovi Evans 3-6 1-3 9, Brooklyn Schneider 3-7 1-2 10, Morgyn Bender 4-18 3-3 13, Harper Pacha 1-2 0-0 2, Tessa Bombei 2-6 0-0 4, Jeorgia Evans 0-0 0-0 0, Myli Hershberger 0-3 2-4 2, Olivia Swartzendruber 1-1 2-2 4. Totals 14-46 9-14 44.

TIPTON (46): Ella Hein 3-5 3-5 11, Anniese Beeler-Allen 0-1 0-0 0, Averie Bolger 1-6 4-4 7, Paityn Daedlow 1-5 0-0 2, Jordyn Schmidt 5-14 3-4 13, Zane Ehler 3-6 5-9 11, Zoe Holstein 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 14-40 15-22 46.

Mid-Prairie 9 12 14 9 — 44

Tipton 10 13 8 15 — 46

3-point goals: Mid-Prairie 7-27 (Harland 0-2, Jovi Evans 2-3, Schneider 3-7, Bombei 0-3, Bender 2-10, Pacha 0-1, Hershberger 0-1), Tipton 3-10 (Hein 2-4, Bolger 1-3, Daedlow 0-3). Team fouls: Mid-Prairie 21, Tipton 16. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Mid-Prairie 32 (Schneider, Bender, Pacha 5), Tipton 33 (Schmidt 9). Assists: Mid-Prairie 11 (Jovi Evans 5), Tipton 10 (Schmidt 4). Steals: Mid-Prairie 10 (Jovi Evans 4), Tipton 6 (Daedlow 2). Turnovers: Mid-Prairie 17, Tipton 17.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com