The RBHS girls basketball team (21-5) competed against Hickman High School today in the district 9 championship game, where the Lady Bruins came out on top, winning 50-38. Having played against and defeated HHS once before back in January, this game was a heated rematch of cross town rivalry. Stakes weren’t the only thing that were high – emotions did too, with the a crowd filled with fans from both teams cheering on their school.
“We did very well considering the crowd and the excitement of it being the district championship,” senior Makenzie Skrabal said. “We came out strong and didn’t give them much of a chance.”
Unlike the last time RBHS faced HHS, the Lady Bruins started the game off strong, ending the first quarter with a 12-6 lead. While the Kewpies put some pressure on the Bruins in the second quarter, almost tying the score, RBHS intensified their defense and pulled through the first half with a 23-18 lead. By the end of the third quarter, HHS was almost 10 points behind the Bruins, and the RBHS girls only further widened the gap in the last quarter of the game, winning it all with a final score of 50-38.
After today’s game, the girls will move onto Sectionals March 6 at Camdenton high school, where they will play against the Waynesville Tigers (13-13) for a chance to further their state journey. The girls have high hopes that their season will continue as it did last year – ending it with a state championship victory.
“I think we have a good chance,” Makenzie Skrabal said. “As long as we keep playing and practicing the way we have been then we have a really good chance of making it to state.”
By Carleigh Thrower and Daphne Yu