By Aubrie Odegaard and Krista Jacobsen

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo courtesy of Matshots.com

Snow may not be in the air much this winter season, but there sure is success for the West Central girls basketball team. The Lady Trojans have a 10-2 record so far despite temporarily losing junior starter Hunter Matheiu and junior Brennan Ensz. Luckily, with all the other talent, the girls have been able to keep up with their opponents. Part of the success is coming from star players on the team, but a large portion can also be attributed to the leaders. Seniors Shelby Sieverding and Allie Macdonald take their role as seniors very well.

Sieverding is happy that she is finally a senior on the team. She believes that her role as a senior is to be a leader and keep the team free of drama. Sieverding shares, “I hope we keep improving and work hard every day in practice because we can always get better.” Once she leaves the team, she will miss the people in basketball and making new memories each day. Sieverding, for now, is planning to focus on school rather than let college track distract her.

Macdonald says, “It feels good to finally be the ‘top dogs’ of the team.” She has always felt like a leader but is glad that she’s finally at the top level. Macdonald expresses, “I believe the harder I work, the harder my teammates will work. I try to lead my team in a positive manner at all times. Also, I continue to encourage them even when everything isn’t going exactly right.” Her goal for the team is to make it to state this year. When the season comes to an end, she will miss the relationships she has made with the coaches, opponents and teammates. Once graduated, Macdonald is planning to play soccer at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

As the season comes and goes, the memories and friendships will always be there for these two senior basketball players, and their leadership might just bring the Lady Trojans further than ever expected.

By Alanna Schmeichel, Paige Fromm and Taylor Bergeson

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo by Jill Goertel

West Central has many athletic opportunities; one of the options that female athletes have to participate in is gymnastics. Over the course of the regular season the girls participate in 10 meets, all leading up to regions and state. Gymnasts can qualify for the state meet individually throughout the season or at regions. The state meet is in Brookings Feb. 17 and 18. As of now we have one gymnast qualified for state. Sophomore Libby Goertel will be competing in the state meet again this year. “I got really nervous last year at state, but hopefully since I’ve been there once before, it will be easier to just focus on my routines and not on my nerves!”  Continue Reading

By Brooklyn Ketcham and Brennan Ensz

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of Tracy Ketcham

While Friday the 13th tends to be perceived as a day of bad luck, the Lady Trojans were ready to take on the challenge by playing the Harrisburg Tigers. After losing their first game to Harrisburg 69-62, the Lady Trojans were prepared to face their rivals. The Trojans knew it was a big game for them; they needed a win to stay in the hunt for a conference title. The Trojans began the game with a 10-0 run, but the Tigers fought back to a close halftime score of 24-20, with the Trojans still on top.

After halftime, both teams were ready to battle again. The Tigers were on top almost the whole second half. Madison Kuehl surprised the Tigers when she hit a big three pointer to get the Trojans rolling again with 43 seconds left of the game. This put the Trojans ahead 41-39. The Tigers responded well though, hitting a baseline jumper with just 16 seconds to play. Allie Macdonald, for the Trojans, raced the ball down the court with a pass to Brennan Ensz. Wide open, Ensz nailed the game-winning shot with just 5 seconds left. The Tigers had one more attempt, but the shot fell short, leaving the Trojans with a 43-41 victory. Macdonald finished with 10 points, and Kuehl finished with nine points.

The 6-2 Lady Trojans will host the Dell Rapids Quarriers on January 17, and they will travel to Milbank on January 21.