It took all of 7 seconds for the Arlington High School girls basketball team to take a three-point lead Thursday night against Syracuse.
Eagles senior Britt Nielsen knocked down the long-range shot right after the opening tip, propelling the home team to a 40-21 halftime lead and a 69-45 victory.
“It kind of set the tone for the whole half,” Macy Wolf said. “We played some of our best basketball in that first half and, I think, her starting off hot like that really helped us.”
The AHS junior added her own layup off of a defensive stop 23 seconds later as coach Tashia Wolf's team built a lead it'd never relinquish to the Rockets (6-7 overall). The Eagles (11-3) went ahead 19-9 after one quarter and held a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
Arlington went on a 20-2 run at one point with Wolf contributing eight points. She led the Eagles with 25 total, knocking down two 3-point baskets.
The junior said her rebounding effort helped her produce offensively.
“It's something I've always struggled with, but it's kind of coming together this year,” Wolf explained. “I think that's really helping me and my teammates out.”
Emme Timm added 18 points for the Eagles, while Nielsen finished with 11. Timm, like Wolf, finished an and-1 opportunity with a made free throw during the second period.
Nielsen didn't make another 3-pointer after her first, but substitute Lauren Pittman did just before halftime. She had three points at the end of the game, while Hailey O'Daniel and Hayley Arp notched four apiece for the victors.
AHS' 11th victory of the 2024-25 season came directly after losses to Sidney and North Bend Central on Jan. 11 and 14, respectively.
“I think those losses have kind of been eating at us lately,” Wolf said. “We knew we just had to win a big conference game tonight, so that we can continue on with a winning streak and just finish out the season hot.”
The Eagles next play 6 p.m. today at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.
AHS BASKETBALL LINE SCORE
Thursday
Arlington 69, Syracuse 45
SHS (6-7) 9 8 15 13 — 45
AHS (11-3) 19 21 12 17 — 69
Scoring: AHS — Macy Wolf 25, Emme Timm 18, Britt Nielsen 11, Hailey O'Daniel 4, Hayley Arp 4, Lauren Pittman 3, Tessa Spivey 2, Valeria Carvajal 2.
SHS — Jayden Meyer 11, Natalee Wemhoff 11, Ava Mohr 11, Kathleen Donovan 4, Sloan Vollertsen 4, Aselen Farley 2, Kaita Keifels 1.
