Fresh off a win, Atlantic girls basketball was hungry to be victorious once again. The Trojan girls toppled Griswold on Saturday, Dec. 7 to win their first game of the season. They were ready to do it again to the Clarinda Cardinals on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at home.

Thus far in the season, Atlantic was 1-3, and Clarinda was 0-4. 

The two teams took the court in the conference matchup. Juniors Haley Rasmussen, Taylor McCreedy, and Maycie Waters, along with seniors Kenzie Waters and Corri Pelzer, started for the Trojans. 

Instantly, Atlantic gained control of the game, outscoring Clarinda 13 to four in the first quarter. The Trojans didn’t let up in the second. The Trojan defense stopped the Cardinals often at the half-court mark, stripping the ball away. Routinely, they took it all the way to the hoop for the score. Rasmussen had two back-to-back layups late in the second quarter that dictated the fast-break style of play in which the Trojans thrived. At the same time, junior Lauren Nicholas hit two three pointers in a row for Atlantic. At half, Atlantic sat in the lead 49-16.

The girls put together another double-digit quarter in the third frame. Heading into the final eight minutes, Atlantic was up 69-19. The Trojans tacked on nine more points en route to a 78-23 victory at home.

Three Trojans finished in double-digits. Out front was Rasmussen, who netted 27 points. This was a career-high night for her, scoring-wise. K. Waters slapped in 11 and Nicholas added on ten to the Trojan score. The girls had 19 rebounds, 21 assists, 26 steals, and 4 blocks on the night. 

Next up for Trojan girls basketball is a trip to Creston on Friday, Dec. 13 to avenge a 55-41 loss.