The WaMaC doesn’t have an official end-of-season game between the two division winners (East and West).
But No. 1 (3A) Mount Vernon and No. 4 (4A) Clear Creek Amana played one anyway on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The Mustangs won, 60-39, in Mount Vernon.
“This train keeps moving,” Mount Vernon Coach Jacob Misener said. “CCA gave us everything we wanted. What a great preparation game heading into the postseason. We were fortunate to have that as our last game of the year.”
Clipper fans will remind you that their No. 2 scorer, Lena Evans, was out with injury.
“I know they didn’t have one of their players,” senior Courtney Franck said. “But I think we stepped up and showed out.
“They (were) No. 1 and they are 4A, which makes this even more of a game. We knew we were going to get each other’s best, so for us to beat them by about 20, it feels really good.”
CCA (18-2) led after one quarter, 16-13. But the Mustangs put together a 13-2 run to take control. Sophomore Quinn Pershing hit two 3-pointers and a 2-pointer during that stretch.
“She has bailed us out offensively more than once this year,” Misener said. “It would take me two hands to count the number of times a flurry of Quinn points has jump-started us, or got us out of a pickle, or extended a lead.
“She’s been huge, and her stats show it.”
Pershing finished with a team-high 23 points. The sophomore has developed into a reliable scoring option.
“I feel way more comfortable,” Pershing said. “And I think my teammates have helped me by having confidence in me.”
“Quinn is just a shooter,” Franck said. “Not to mention, she can get to the rim, too. She’s getting more confident with her shot, and it is awesome.
“If you pass it to her, it is most likely going in.”
Adding her scoring skill set to future college players – twins seniors Courtney Franck (Wayne State) and Taylor Franck (Northern Iowa) — and leading scorer, junior Savanna Wright, makes the Mustangs tough to defend.
“What do you take away?” Misener said. “I’m glad I don’t have to prepare to defend us.”
The Mustangs continued to pour it on against the Clippers, even when subbing in the second half. Six different Mount Vernon players hit a 3-pointer, including Alivia Truitt, Kinely Nissen and Lucy Wischmeyer.
Taylor Franck had 11 points and Wright added nine.