On Tuesday, Feb. 17, the Sabetha Lady Jays traveled to Hiawatha to take on a very talented Hiawatha Lady Red Hawks squad inside the Roundhouse. Knowing the challenge ahead, Sabetha came in focused and ready to compete, ultimately falling 56-33 after a strong opening half.

Hiawatha jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, but Sabetha showed early that they were not intimidated. Junior Macey Drahota set the tone with her effort and length, pulling down back-to-back offensive rebounds and converting a tough put-back to get the Lady Jays on the board. Senior Kiera Keim followed by knocking down a deep three-pointer, and moments later broke the Lady Hawk press before finding Drahota for a triple of her own. The sequence gave Sabetha an 8-5 lead and briefly put the home team on its heels.

Providing a spark off the bench, senior Krysta Menold came up big with consecutive layups in traffic. Sabetha’s energy and willingness to attack the basket helped keep things close, as Hiawatha held just a slim 14-12 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

“I thought early on that we did well playing hard and attacking the basket, which allowed us to stay close with them,” said senior Alivia Lang.

Senior Chloe Detweiler continued that effort early in the second quarter, connecting on back-to-back jumpers from the top of the key. From there, however, Hiawatha found its rhythm. The Lady Red Hawks went on an 11-0 run, capitalizing on quick ball movement and hot shooting. Sophomore RaeLynn Lanter helped stop the momentum with a strong post move in the paint, trimming the deficit to 31-18 heading into halftime.

Sabetha opened the second half with confidence as Keim buried another three-pointer, but Hiawatha responded with an 18-2 run that stretched the lead. Lanter continued to battle inside for another bucket, while Keim knocked down additional shots from beyond the arc. Junior Sophia Haverkamp also connected from long range as Sabetha continued to compete.

The difference proved to be Hiawatha’s shooting depth and efficiency, highlighted by a record-setting night from Kylie Nelson, who broke the school record for most three-pointers made in a single game at an impressive eight, made beyond the arch. With the margin widening, a running clock was used in the fourth quarter as the Lady Red Hawks secured the 56-33 win.

Despite the final score, the Lady Jays took valuable lessons from the match-up.

“We have to continue to show up for each other, trust in our teammates’ abilities, and build each other up,” Lang said when asked what the team can take away from games like this.

Keim led Sabetha with 12 points and four assists. Junior Sidney Schubarth struggled to find the scoring column but impacted the game in multiple ways, pulling down eight rebounds, dishing out five assists and recording three blocks.

“Super proud of the way we competed,” said Head Coach Rachelle Wertenberger. “Kylie Nelson is an amazing player and was really hot in the second half. But I liked how aggressive we were in the first half and how we never gave up.”