Gallery • 13 Photos

Bella Pittman

Rose Nkumu '20 is defended by two West High players.

The Little Hawks’ run is over. After starting 14-0, they fell to West High at home on Tuesday night in front of a sold out crowd. The Little Hawks trailed at the half, and were able to come back in the fourth quarter before faltering at the end.

“Well, boxing out on the rebounds, and we didn’t get the ball inside as we would’ve liked to in the second half,” City High head coach Bill McTaggart said of what the Little Hawks didn’t do this time that they were able to do when they beat the Women of Troy at West High in December. “They’re a good team. You gotta play your A game or you aren’t gonna be able to defeat them, and they’re gonna be hard for anybody to defeat.”

The Little Hawks jumped out to 19-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, but West High went on a run in the second to take a 32-27 lead at the half.

“Well, we started off really well, but we kinda let them back in it. We just need to keep finishing games [in the future],” Ashley Joens ’18 said.

The Little Hawks eventually came back with a back and fourth second half. Aubrey Joens ’20 converted a three point play for the Little Hawk late in the fourth quarter, but for everything the Little Hawks did, the Women of Troy seemed to have an answer.  They made their free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

“We missed a couple key ones [free throws] down the stretch, and they missed one I guess,” McTaggart said of City’s free throw shooting down the stretch.

Joens led the way for the Little Hawks with 16 points and eight rebounds for City. Rose Nkumu ’20 had 15 points along with six steals and was City High’s second leading scorer.

Now the Little Hawks must look for a quick turn around and prepare to play Dubuque Hempstead on Friday night.

“We’ll see if we bounce back on Friday. I think the girls will be anxious to get back on the floor on Friday and play against a really good Dubuque Hempstead team,” McTaggart said.