The NW girls’ basketball team took the court for the first time of the season to play against the SM West Vikings Dec. 1. Last season the girls were beaten soundly by West twice, as the Vikings appeared to even run up the score in both their victories.

The game started out with an aggressive, but slow, front from Northwest as the Vikings took the lead and kept it for most of the first quarter. Soon enough it came to the end of the first quarter as sophomore Mia Woodward put up a last second shot as it went in to beat the buzzer.

At the start of the second quarter, the girls played with a passion to win. The Vikings fought to keep their lead, but after a slip-up the Cougars gained the lead. The Cougars then played more ferociously with great defense and teamwork to keep their stride. As the first half came to an end Northwest had 17 points on the Vikings’ 13.

The team enthusiastically started the second half to hopefully end the game with a win. Northwest started off again going back and forth with the score as senior Jessica Johnson drove the basket for a layup to tie the score 19-19. The Lady Cougars went into the fourth quarter determined as sophomore Amanda Hoelting shot the ball and sunk it. As she shot the ball she was fouled and and went up for the extra basket to put another point on the scoreboard for her team. With 59 seconds left in the game Northwest tried to run the clock out, but with a sudden number of fouls from the Vikings, Cougars were throwing free throws left and right, adding to their total score of the game.

The Cougars went on to win with a final score of 44–34. Their next game is against Smithville at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6 at NW.