WELLMAN

Whenever Mid-Prairie senior forward Maddie Nonnenmann got the ball Thursday night, two Monticello players were in her face.

They were not within just a foot of her. Within inches.

Mid-Prairie junior forward Landry Pacha ripped the ball away for most of her team-high six rebounds.

The Golden Hawks (9-5) scored a season-low 29 points, but still emerged from their River Valley crossover battle against Monticello with a 29-24 victory in an intense defensive battle.

“That’s what we expected,” Mid-Prairie coach Danny Hershberger said. “It’s a great win against a great team for us.”

Monticello (11-4) had an eight-game winning streak halted and lost for just the third time in River Valley Conference play.

Nonnenmann took charge for the Golden Hawks, scoring 12 of her 14 points in the first half and grabbing 5 rebounds. The Panthers cranked up their defense on Nonnenmann in the second half, shutting her out in the third quarter and causing Nonnenmann to begin Golden Hawk possessions partially hidden on the right wing in a corner of the court instead of in the middle of the court near the basket.

Still, Nonnenmann went in to score a huge basket late in the game that gave the Golden Hawks a 28-21 lead. Those were the first points for Mid-Prairie in the final quarter.

“I thought she was excellent,” Hershberger said. “We needed her to step up. She absolutely hit huge shots all night.”

Among those big shots: a 3-pointer by Nonnenmann late in the second quarter, giving Mid-Prairie a 20-9 halftime lead.

Junior guard Amara Jones added 9 points for the Golden Hawks. Cana Rediger and Nora Pennington hit 3-pointers.