~by Dustin Teays for the Scranton Journal
The Paton-Churdan Rockets girls’ basketball team recently celebrated its seniors during Senior Night.
Overall, the Rockets are an extremely young team, as showcased by the fact that there is just one senior on the roster, Grace Cullum. Cullum was recently recognized Jan. 21 during Senior Night against Ar-We-Va for her time with the Rockets program. The game’s results were not in their favor, as they lost 41-25. It was still a good time to reflect on what the team’s lone senior has given to the game.
Cullum has contributed quality minutes for the Rockets since she began playing her freshman year, and this year is no different. This year, she is one of the team’s best rebounders, assisters, and stealers of the ball. Against Ar-We-Va, she had another all-around good game with five rebounds, two steals and two points.
Against Ar-We-Va, Alivya Smith led the team in points with eight and rebounds with 11. Kaliyah Minnihan was just behind her in both points with five and rebounds with 10. Ava Minnehan had nine rebounds, and Ella Tasler had seven, as the Rockets rebounded the ball well with 45 total rebounds.
The Rockets finished their week Jan. 24 against a tough opponent in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union-ranked Coon Rapids-Bayard Crusaders, where they fell in that game by a final score of 50-4. Cullum led the team in scoring with two of the team’s four points, and Alivya Smith and Ella Tasler scored one apiece. Ava Minnehan led in rebounds with five, and Cullum was second with three.
So far this year the Rockets have collected just one win, and earlier win against Storm Lake St. Mary’s, but that win has them ahead of what their final record was just a season ago. Not only that, this young team has shown that they have come a long way even just this season and have plenty of accomplishments and wins ahead of them in the future.
This week, the Rockets were initially expected to face the West Harrison Hawkeyes, but that game was canceled because the Hawkeyes did not field a team this year. The Rockets were then expected to face the West Central Valley Wildcats at home on Jan. 30 and then the CAM Cougars on Jan. 31.
The extended calendar has the Rockets facing Coon Rapids-Bayard on Feb. 3, Exira-EHK on Feb. 4, and Woodbine on Feb. 10.
