by Logan Gilman

With 4.5 seconds left in the game, Mustang junior Rachel Stafford stepped up to the free-throw line and sank one of two to give her team a 41-40 lead over the Roland-Story Norseman, on Jan. 19.
Stafford said, “It was a satisfying feeling to know that the hard work and time put in to practice and shooting paid off in a crucial moment. It was extremely exciting to see the smiles on the faces of my coach, friends, and all of the fans.”
The Mustangs pulled out the victory, thanks to strong defense in the fourth quarter, only allowing Roland-Story to score five points. The visitors scored 12 points of their own in the final frame, to pull out the one-point victory. Roland-Story had a good shot at a 3-pointer as time expired, but thanks to a good contest by Stafford, the shot fell short.
The Mustangs had a balanced offensive attack, as junior Jayci Vos was the only player to score in double figures on the night, with 14. Junior Kayla Jennings tallied six points of her own. In her first game of the season because of transfer rules, junior Alexis Timmins scored six points to help the Mustangs’ cause. Junior Katie Vande Wall led the team with six rebounds.
Stafford said, “I feel like our team is starting to click, and if we keep going in the direction we are heading now, we will go far. We have had three really solid games of playing together as a team and learning a lot.”
The PCM girls will be back in action tomorrow night at North Polk at 6 p.m.