When the boys’ varsity team got together at the end of the first quarter Tuesday night, they knew they were going to win. 

“We had it in the bag from the beginning,” senior Aiden Rath said with a smile after the game against Tipton. The Golden Hawks were leading the Tigers 16-3 and built upon that success to win 62-33. 

Rath, alongside fellow seniors Luke Boyse and Keegan Brady, were honored before the game began in recognition of Senior Night. “It was nice to be recognized for all the work we’ve put into the program,” Boyse said.

The seniors combined for 19 points, with Rath getting 14 of those as the game’s high scorer. But equally impressive were the number of clutch blocks from the Mid-Prairie boys.

“We knew, coming into this game, we were going to focus on defense,” Boyse said. “That allowed our offense to perform better.” 

And the offense did perform, especially at a distance. Rath and sophomore Alex Bean were both 4 for 4 on their free throw attempts. The Golden Hawks attempted 27 three-pointers, making nine of them. Brady’s long-distance basket was a particular fan favorite, as was a breakaway dunk from junior Carter Harmsen. 

Alex Bean scored 10 points in the win. Harmsen finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Will Cavanagh scored nine points and Jack Pennington had eight. All four had three assists apiece. 

Practically everything went Mid-Prairie’s way throughout the entire game. When you build a lead as high as they had, you know everything you’ve practiced for is coming to fruition. And especially on Senior Night, the outgoing players were glad to see that effort pay off.

“Obviously, this season [has been] different than past seasons,” Boyse said, “but we all came together and pushed through that through practice.”