***This article was written by Ava Landwehr, a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.

Over the course of this past weekend, the Lady Geese placed second in the Cliff Warkins Memorial Varsity Girls Classic Basketball Tournament. Games were played in Erie and Prophetstown.

The girls’ first game was against the Morrison Lady Mustangs on Friday, Dec. 27. The Lady Geese dominated the floor with the winning score of 64-12. 

The girls’ aggression and positive energy greatly contributed to the win. Points were distributed throughout the whole team with everyone scoring at least one basket. Lana Scott, a sophomore, was the highest scorer with 12 points. The Lady Geese were efficient scorers beyond the arch with nine three-pointers from Scott, Lajaya Angel, Maci Hauser, Emilia Escareno, and Lucy Landwehr. 

Also on Friday, the girls played Mercer County’s Golden Eagles in their second game of the night. This game was more aggressive on both sides of the court. 

The Lady Geese once again took control of the game with an ending score of 59-39. The Geese were focused and the team communicated well on the court. 

The lead scorer was once again Scott with 20 points with Angel close behind at 19 points. Escareno also contributed to the score with three three’s. 

This was a strong start to the tournament for the Lady Geese, showing their excellent teamwork and dedication to the sport. 

Their third game was on Saturday, Dec. 28 against Stockton. The girls held the lead the entire game. 

During the first quarter, Lajaya Angel hit the thousands point in her high school career. She was the team’s lead scorer of the game with 18 points. This is a massive accomplishment for Angel, showing her impressiveness as a player and point scorer. 

The ladies ended the game with a 45-30 point lead, which took them to the championship game on Monday, Dec. 30, against Monmouth-Roseville’s Lady Titans. 

This game was a fierce and hard-fought game with talented players on both ends. It was a close game and the Lady Geese were down by 5 at the start of the fourth quarter. 

They were struggling to get their shots to fall and the Lady Titans pulled ahead and continued to increase their lead with a final score of 54-37. Angel was the lead scorer with 16 points. 

The Geese ended with second place in the tournament. Angel was named all-tournament and Scott was named tournament MVP, which are impressive accomplishments for these ladies and showcases the talent the Lady Geese have this season.