Between the two of them, the South Hamilton girls’ basketball team and West Marshall hold only five losses so far in the 2022-2023 winter campaign. Judging from those few losses alone, it makes sense that both squads are among the ranked within Class 2A and Class 3A, respectively.

Tonight, the No. 13 (Class 2A) Hawks and No. 4 (Class 3A) Trojans face off for the top of the Heart of Iowa Conference table, set for 6 p.m. at the West Marshall High School Gymnasium in State Center.

South Hamilton (14-4, 9-3 HoI) will take aim at snapping a two-game skid, coming up short against conference opponents Nevada and Roland-Story. The Hawks do have recent history on their side, having been the only team to hand the Trojans a loss so far this season, which came from a 48-47 nailbiter on Dec. 20 in Jewell.

Spearheading the Hawks is senior Hallee Feaker, who has averaged nearly 20 points and eight boards per outing.

Alongside Feaker is junior Ashlyn Erickson, who has compiled an average of 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. In this past Tuesday’s setback against Roland-Story, however, Erickson led the Hawks with 19 points and nine boards.

Since that one-point loss, the Trojans (18-1, 11-1 HoI) have been on a tear with a 10-game winning streak. Over the course of the season, West Marshall has outscored opponents by a 32-point margin.

Senior Katy Reyerson (19.6 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 7 apg) leads the Trojans, who are the top scoring team within Class 3A. West Marshall are also aggressive on defense, ranked second in steals and blocks within the classification.

Sophomore Bella Borgos contributes to West Marshall’s cause, averaging 17.6 points per contest.

Since 2006, the Trojans hold an 8-3 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools.