On February 23, the Lady Rockets took on South Sioux City (SCC) for the Class-A District 1 Championship. The winner of this game got to advance on to the State Basketball Championship held next week at the Pinnacle Bank Arena. SCC is seeded first with a record of 22-1 according to Lincoln Journal Star. The Rockets went in with a record of 14-11 but still were able to control the court for most of the game.
Sophomore Mariah Cates was able to score 2 three point baskets in the third quarter, putting them up 40-35. In an interview Cates described the game as exciting. She said it was a great experience to be neck and neck with the number one team in the state. When asked about the status of the team, she said “the fact we have a very young team and were able to compete so well was amazing. We are going to put in a lot of work over the offseason and come back even stronger next year.
Up until the fourth quarter the lead was slim and the game was up for grabs for either team. Going into the fourth quarter, the score was 45-42 with SCC in the lead. From there the Cardinals went on a 8-0 run ultimately winning them the game. The final score was 69-57.
Although their season is done, the Lady Rockets are going to put in a lot of work over the off season to come out on top. The team is only losing two seniors and has a lot of strong underclassmen to help carry the weight next season.