MEGAN MISNER – Hoof Prints Staff

Both Mustangs and Lady Mustangs traveled to Rector to play in the district tournament Wednesday, Feb. 17. Both teams tried, but fell short of a victory.

The boys played first against Rector. The game was pretty close until our boys missed shots and didn’t handle the ball well. Coach Garrett Eoff explained that the boys did well; they just couldn’t pull it off. He explained that they went into the game with a plan, which the boys followed. The only problem was that they missed out on scoring opportunities.

“We had every position during the game to get the shot we wanted, but we were too streaky,” stated Coach Eoff. The outcome of the game was 54 to 45.

The girls played the following game against East Poinsett County. The girls had been winning until halftime, but then lost it. The other team stayed ahead by a few points the remainder of the game. Coach Stan Fowler explained that the other team was bigger, faster and stronger and that by looking at our team and EPC you wouldn’t think that we stood a chance. Coach Fowler also said that the girls had a strong first half. Their full court press caused the opponent to have turn-overs. The next half, however, the girls couldn’t efficiently run offense and they struggled with scoring.

“If we play smart, we can beat anyone,” stated Coach Fowler. Brittany Fowler, with 27 points, was the only girl on the BIC team to be in double digits.

Although the girls lost their first game in district, they still advance to the regional tournament. The girls play Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the Midland gym against Midland.

The boys, on the other hand, had a difficult time with the loss. Not only was it the last ball game for the season but it was the last game ever for the seniors. It was a very emotional night.

Adrian Mondragon, senior, expressed his feelings. “I wasn’t really sad until the last minute of the game. We were only down by 10 and there was a way to win. All we had to do was foul them, hope they miss their shots, get the ball back, and score. But I realized that wasn’t going to happen. I got mad at first and punched the door to the locker room. I was sitting in the locker room when Coach came in to talk to us. He told us how great of a group of boys we were and how he enjoyed coaching us. That’s when I started to tear up. I am going to miss high school basketball, but most of all I am going to miss my teammates. I wish I could go back and try again but that can’t happen. So, now I just have to move on,” stated Mondragon.