Ad
Magdalena girls’ team suffers heartbreaking loss
Published
The Magdalena girls’ varsity team lost a heartbreaker to the Des Moines Lady Demons at home on March 6. The Magdalena girls fought and the fans cheered their hearts out until the very last second.
Magdalena was seeded #7 while Des Moines was seeded #10, so the Magdalena girls had earned a home game for the first round of the state playoffs. Anything can happen in the competitive play of the playoffs though, with the 16 best teams from Class A facing off against each other.
Magdalena started off with a solid first quarter and a 15-14 lead. #2 Jema Ganadonegro had four points and #4 Kali Bruton added two. #23 Jewel Mirabal, #5 Elia Cleveland and #10 Nikole Torres each scored three.
A Magdalena scoring slump in the second quarter allowed Des Moines to go up by 10, a 29-19 lead. Magdalena chipped away at that lead to go into the locker room at halftime only trailing by seven, 31-24. Torres added three more points to her game total and Cleveland scored two more.
The Magdalena girls came back out strong and regained a lead in the third, 36-35. The Lady Demons would push back ahead, only for Magdalena to bounce back once again. The teams were tied at 41 apiece with seven minutes to go. Magdalena briefly held a one-point lead once more, stayed within two scores the remainder of the game and were twice only one point behind.
However, the Lady Demons kept up with the pressure and fought off the repeated attempts by Magdalena to regain the lead, leaving Magdalena three points shy in the end. Final score: 53-50.
Magdalena wrapped up its season with a 22-7 overall record, and they were 5-3 for third place in a tough district.
#2 Jema Ganadonegro and #5 Elia Cleveland are the two seniors on the team this year. Both have been major impact players for the team, leading the team in points, steals and assists. They will be missed by the team next season, but the depth of the team is a strength. Many talented younger players are looking to step into those leadership roles when the time comes.
