Ever since anyone could remember, Mineral Point’s rival has always been Cuba City. Mrs. Kabat once said, “There is no better feeling than beating the Cubans.” Currently, Cuba City is number 1 in the SWAL conference, and Mineral Point is number 2. The last time these two teams played each other, Cuba took the win, so Mineral Point was out for revenge. On Monday, January 29th, the two teams matched up for the second time. Cuba always had a constant lead from the tip-off to halftime, but the Pointers were not too far behind. With a score of 25-19, the buzzer sounded at the half.

Returning to the court, Mineral Point needed to step up their game. Walking into the locker room, coaches Jelle and Chambers had a game plan to close up the lead and fire up their players. Coach Jelle said, “This is our half,” that was just the confidence his players needed to step it up. Senior Belle Watters was responsible for guarding Cuba City’s best player, Olivia Olson, and she held her to only 16 points when she normally averages 22. Four players reached double figures throughout the game, including Jadyn Schultz, Maddy Kabat, Laci Lindsey, and Belle Watters. Eliza Ingwell and Ella Kroll dished out the most assists throughout the whole game. The leading rebounder was Maddy Kabat, who dominated the post. With only 3 seconds left on the clock, Mineral Point is down by three and fires it to Jaydn Schultz, who drains the shot, making the game tied as the buzzer blares. The score tied at 59 to 59, with 4 minutes back on the clock for overtime.

After the dogfight from both teams, The Pointers fell to the Cubans with a final score of 69 to 61. This is one of the best high school games of the season due to the firing crowd and competitive teams. The gym was packed for a girl’s game, which made this night even better. We hope to see Cuba City again in the playoffs and, next time, secure the win next time. As everyone always says, “It’s hard to beat a team 3 times in a row”.