The West Fork Warhawk and North Butler Bearcat basketball teams split a Top of Iowa Conference doubleheader Tuesday night in Sheffield, as aired on 99 The Wave. The Warhawk girls rolled to a 59–25 win while the Bearcat boys earned a 54–40 victory.
In the girls game, West Fork bounced back from a loss the night before with a dominant performance against North Butler. The Warhawks set the tone early, forcing turnovers that led to transition scoring and an early cushion.
West Fork’s game-leading scorer, Zada Huff, says the Warhawks responded well after Monday’s setback against Osage.
“I think we really did good,” says Huff. “We bounced back after our loss last night and we really played as a team. The chemistry was there. Our defense was amazing tonight, our offense looked really good. We had less turnovers and I just think we all played really confident.”
Huff led all scorers with 15 points, while North Butler was paced by Eden Wix, who finished with 11 points for the Bearcats.
With the win, the West Fork girls improve to 4–5 on the season, while North Butler falls to 4–6.
In the boys game, the Bearcats relied on strong defense and efficient perimeter shooting to counter West Fork’s interior-focused attack.
Wade and Brody Wangsness combined for 22 points, scoring 11 apiece, to lead North Butler, with 15 of those points coming from 3-point range, while Ezra Almelien added seven points off the bench.
Head Coach Austin Guerrero says trust and ball movement were key to the Bearcats’ success.
“That’s what we preach day in and day out is just trust each other and these guys really do,” says Guerrero. “We’re always going to make that best play, best pass and live with the result. Tonight, Wade Wangsness stepped up and hit a bunch of shots from the outside and drove the ball well. Brody had a nice night from the outside, and Ezra Almelien stepped in off the bench. We just trust each other, and these guys really enjoy playing with one another.”
With the victory, the North Butler boys move to 5–3 on the season, while the Warhawk boys fall to 2–5.
All four teams return to action later this week, with North Butler traveling to Charles City and West Fork playing Nashua-Plainfield.
