CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Northwest Vikings traveled to “The Hawks Nest” at Rossview High School for the Region 7-4A tournament quarterfinals against the Hawks on Friday. The Hawks dominated the first three quarters defensively, and Northwest mounted a late comeback. But Rossview weathered the storm for a 39-30 win, advancing to the region semifinals against Henry County on Monday, and ending the Vikings’ season.
Hawks forward Ellie Hankemeier caught fire early, with 12 of her 18 total points coming in the paint in the first half. The story of the game, though? Rossview’s stifling defense. The Vikings only scored 16 points in three quarters of play.
“We were sloppy with the ball offensively early, but thankfully, defensively, we were solid,” said Hawks head coach Drew Smith. “We cleaned some things up, got some good production from the bench in moments when we needed them. This is our third time playing that team, so we both knew what we wanted to do, we just executed when it mattered.”
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The Vikings mounted a huge comeback attempt in the fourth, built off crashing the offensive glass. Most of the scoring came from guard Ivy Downs, but the lead was too big to overcome. Northwest fell in the regional quarterfinals for the fourth straight season, while the Hawks advanced to the regional semifinals. Despite all the turnover, they’re back exactly where their season ended last year, the semifinals against Henry County.
“I’m so happy that we get one more game with these girls,” said Smith. “This group loves being together; for them, getting to continue to be together, that’s special. The beginning of the year was rough, but they’ve stuck through everything, and now we’re right back in the same spot with nothing to lose.”
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