City High bounced back into the win column with help from sophomore starter Kaitlin Loria, who played a dominant role in the road victory, scoring an impressive 25 points on 62% shooting from the field while also leading the game with 8 rebounds. Another key factor for the Little Hawks is Emmy McComas finding ways to contribute heavily, even if it’s not through scoring. The senior forward finished the game with 10 assists and 5 rebounds.
”Our mindset at this point is just how we need to stay together and not care about what other teams are doing and just worry about our stuff moving forward and making sure we are staying together and connected,” Kaitlin Loria ’27 said.
Three days later, the Little Hawks aim to keep the momentum rolling into the biggest game of their year, which will undoubtedly be filled with emotion. The Trojans, led by junior guard Grace Fincham (15.2 ppg), are also coming off a blowout win that took place on Tuesday. The victory over Waterloo West could be a huge confidence boost after dropping a tough loss to the highly ranked #5 Prairie Hawks—a game the Trojans had been in control of. This makes the matchup even more enticing, as both teams are neck-and-neck in the standings.
“I try and help everyone by just keeping our heads in the game. There’s a lot of hype around rival games, and it’s important to just stay focused and play the game,” Tess Driscoll ’26 said.
The story so far for the Little Hawks has been an interesting one. When the team entered the season, they returned nine players who all had varsity experience. Of those nine, they were led by Minnesota State commit August Palmer, who led the team last year in points (14.5) and assists (3.7) per game. However, in the first few games of the season, the Little Hawks struggled to identify a definitive #1 scorer.
On the plus side, City High’s lineup is more balanced than it has been in recent years. This balance has resulted in one of the best starts under Coach Barnard, with the team achieving a 10-4 record. Throughout the first half of the season, the girls were led by Tess Driscoll ’26, who is averaging 11.3 ppg. As the season has progressed, August Palmer ’25 has stepped up to balance the workload after a slower-than-expected start to her season. Palmer is now averaging 13.2 ppg on 41% shooting.
Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. for the girls, followed by the boys’ game at 7:30 p.m. at The Little Hawk Arena.
