Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Rivalry games have a way of creating heroes sometimes from the most unexpected sources.

Over the past five years there hasn’t been a girls basketball rivalry any better or with higher stakes than the annual cross-town meetings between City High and West High.

The most recent edition of the rivalry added another chapter to a list of down-to-the-wire games and with the unlikeliest of players stepping into the hero role.

Freshman Eviyon Richardson scored a career-high 20 points including the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime to lift Class 5A second-ranked City High to a 64-57 win over No. 6 West High last Friday.

“I told her in the locker room, ‘welcome to City-West basketball’,” City High coach Bill McTaggart said.

In the Little Hawks’ first two games of the season Richardson scored three points total on 1-of-4 shooting.

The 5-foot-9 freshman attempted one field goal and didn’t score in a 66-57 win over Dubuque Hempstead on Tuesday.

In her first meeting with cross-town rival West High in front of a standing room only crowd Richardson was the difference.

She made 8-of-13 field goal attempts, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range and grabbed six rebounds in the win.

“We just kept our energy going on a positive note,” Richardson said. “We just never dropped our heads down. It was fun.”

City High’s overtime win was another in a growing list of close games in the series.

West swept the regular season series in the 2014-2015 season with wins of 28 and 10 points but City High has won six of the last eight meetings following Friday’s overtime win.

During that stretch three of those eight games have gone to overtime with City High winning all three of the overtime contests.

Over the last four seasons five games in the series have been decided by single digits including three by five points or fewer.

While City High had won five of seven meetings before Friday’s matchup West High had won the most recent game a 56-45 win in the 5A state title game last March.

City High got a measure of revenge 279 days later in Friday’s overtime thriller.

“We had a fire burning in our stomach,” City High junior Paige Rocca said.

Triple Double Alert: Lauren Zacharis has been on triple-double watch most of the season.

The West High senior point guard came closest to the feat with 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a road win on Tuesday at Western Dubuque.

Against City High on Friday Zacharias finally notched her first triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Four games into the season Zacharias is averaging 13.3 points, 7.3 assists 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game.

Rankings Update: City High and West High each climbed one spot in the most recent rankings released last Thursday by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

City High moved up to No. 2 in Class 5A while West High jumped one spot to sixth.

Performances of the Week: City High junior Aubrey Joens had 16 points, 11 rebounds and six steals in a 64-57 win over West High.

West High sophomore Audrey Koch had 20 points and 17 rebounds in a 64-57 loss to City High.

Solon freshman Makinley Levine had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists in a 51-44 win over Independence.

Regina senior Kennedy Wallace had 30 points in a 60-49 win over Camanche.

West Branch sophomore Sasha Koenig had 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a 72-24 win over Solon.