Red Oak was the Friday-night opponent for both Trojan basketball squads. The girls were on the road, and the boys took on the Tigers at home. Both matches were for conference credit.

In girls’ action, the JV squad was able to squeak out a win against the Tigers, 39-35. This is their second-straight win as they topped Treynor in their last outing.

The Red Oak girls’ basketball team is ranked 13th in class 3A by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Association. The last time these two teams played, Atlantic nearly upset Red Oak in the AHS gym, 54-50.

In the varsity game, the Trojans lost a close game 56-47. The Trojans were always one step behind the Tigers. At halftime, Red Oak was in front 23-16.

Atlantic kept the game interesting in the second half, as they put together a good offense from swift plays. With 7:37 left in the competition, Red Oak led by nine points. Sophomore Haley Rasmussen hit a three, and stole the ball back to pull Atlantic within six. Red Oak was able to outlast Atlantic and seal the conference W.

Rasmussen led all scorers with 23 points–15 of which came from behind the three-point line. The Trojans also had 11 assists on the night.

In boys’ hoops, Atlantic’s JV stomped Red Oak 61-39. It was all Trojans the entire contest, as the boys walked away from Red Oak early in the first quarter, when they had scored 30 points to Red Oak’s nine.

The Red Oak boys’ basketball team arrived in Atlantic winless out of 14 tries. Because of this, Red Oak held the last spot in the Hawkeye 10 conference’s rankings. In their last meeting, the Trojans were victorious, 61-34.

Starting for the Trojans were seniors Jalen Petersen, Chase Mullenix, Logan Reilly; junior Tyler Moen; and sophomore Skyler Handlos. It was all Trojans in the first half, with Atlantic limiting Red Oak to single-digits in each quarter. Going into the locker room, the Trojans were on top 30-15.

Red Oak mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter. The Tigers were able to outscore the Trojans 19-14, but early offense from Atlantic secured the win, 57-47.

Three Trojans made it into double-figures–Mullenix with 17 points, Handlos netted 15, and Moen with ten. Mullenix also had a double-double as he had 10 rebounds. The Trojans also claimed an impressive 14 steals.

The Trojan girls play Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln on Friday on the road. The next opponent for the Trojan boys is Creston on Monday night in the AHS gym, as part of a boys’-girls’ doubleheader.