Game Report: City Evens Season Series with West

Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2026/01/photo-gallery-no-8-city-at-no-5-west/">Photo Gallery: No. 8 City at No. 5 West</a>   IOWA CITY, Iowa - The subzero temperatures outside the gym were no match for the fever and intensity when a pair of Class 5A Top 10 teams clashed inside West High Friday night. A long-running rivalry also had a little something to do with heating up the place.   Following a day when the Iowa City Community School District canceled classes for the extreme cold, eighth-ranked City High made the short trek across town for a rematch with the No. 5 Trojans. West High took the first meeting, 60-51, in Little Hawk Arena on Dec. 19.   With both teams fighting to stay in the top eight of the state rankings, which means hosting a potential regional final, they looked to be carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders in the first half. <a href="https://x.com/rmmurken/status/2014860410940268835?s=20">As reported by Your Prep Sports' Ryan Murken</a>, the rivals combined to shoot an unsightly 7 of 48 from the field, including 1 of 23 from behind the arc, before the intermission. City clung to a 12-9 lead at the break.   It was a third-quarter offensive explosion relative to what we witnessed during the opening 16 minutes. West won it, 15-13, trimming its deficit to a point heading into the final frame. The fun didn't last. The defenses clamped down again in the fourth quarter.   A [player_tooltip player_id='641977' first='Grace' last='Fincham'] hoop gave the Trojans a 30-28 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The home crowd was gearing up, and it appeared like West might be on its way to closing out a tight game down the stretch as it had in the first meeting.   The Little Hawk defense had other ideas. City held the Trojans scoreless after that. Baskets by [player_tooltip player_id='833956' first='Kaitlin' last='Loria'] and [player_tooltip player_id='667953' first='Tessa' last='Driscoll'] provided enough offense, and a [player_tooltip player_id='832209' first='Hattie' last='Galloway'] blocked shot with time running out sealed the 33-30 win for the visitors.   Galloway's length bothered Fincham throughout the game. She received help from her teammates to help cut off the West star's path to the rim, forcing the Drake signee into moving the ball along to teammates. The Little Hawk defenders did well in closing out on the other Trojans, who also experienced unusually off shooting nights, collectively.   As we know, a humungous aspect of defense is rebounding. City limited the opponent's second-chance points by owning a 36-29 advantage on the backboards, according to <a href="https://yourprepsports.com/2026/01/23/eighth-ranked-city-high-edges-third-ranked-west-high-in-defensive-struggle/">Murken's statistics on Your Prep Sports</a>.   The Little Hawks received strong, two-way performances from its big three of Driscoll, Galloway and Loria. The latter matched Fincham for game-high scoring honors with 13 points. Role players proved vital for victory, however.   [player_tooltip player_id='1261840' first='Maybes' last='Miller'] often was left open as the defense focused on the stars. The junior guard made the opponent pay with seven points, including a big trey in the second half. The center duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1500558' first='Thisbe' last='Lewis'] and Halle Larew were big on the boards and in defending the paint. Lewis added four points.   To Fincham's credit, the senior did not force shots. She found open teammates and dug in on defense. Had she and the West coaches knew the offense would struggle as much as it did, they likely would have had her hunt shots more aggressively.   Chances are good that the Trojans won't experience such offensive woes moving forward. If they do, they'll find ways to free Fincham faster. [player_tooltip player_id='981151' first='Abby' last='Neumiller'], [player_tooltip player_id='1563243' first='Ava' last='Frese'], [player_tooltip player_id='833955' first='Sasha' last='Baldwin'], [player_tooltip player_id='1563236' first='Kate' last='Van Waning'] and others know how to engineer victories.   Friday's result means the tight race for a Top 8 regular-season finish marches on. Cedar Falls (No. 7), Cedar Rapids Washington (9), and Iowa City Liberty (10) join City and West as Mississippi Valley Conference programs with a chance to get in there.   Here are games remaining against each other with a couple of interesting bonus contests:   West - vs Liberty, 1/30; at Cedar Falls, 2/6; vs Johnston, 2/16.   Cedar Falls - vs Cedar Rapids Washington, 2/3; vs West, 2/6.   City - vs Liberty, 2/6; at Cedar Rapids Washington, 2/12.   CR Washington - at Cedar Falls, 2/3; at Clear Creek Amana, 2/7; vs City, 2/12.   Liberty - at West 1/30; at City, 2/6.   It should be noted that these teams have games remaining against very capable conference foes. Kennedy, Prairie, Wahlert, Waterloo West, Linn-Mar and others can put together well-executed game plans.

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