The season got a shot in the arm for the Gordon- Rushville Girls Basketball team following their loss to Bridgeport in the Class C1-12 Sub-District.
A majority of projections had the Mustangs season ending if they lost that opening round of Sub-Districts but when the dust all settled, the Mustangs received the final wild card spot and were seeded in the #13 slot.
This meant a District Final appearance was on the schedule for the third consecutive year for the Mustangs.
They would take on the #4 seed in the rankings and when that announcement came it was a very familiar foe.
The 24-0 Bridgeport Bulldogs were firmly in place at the #4 spot so the Mustangs would get a third shot in a row at the Bulldogs.
The two teams squared off on Friday, February 23 in a packed Bridgeport High School gym for that coveted trip to the State Tournament on the line.
The two teams came out swinging in the first half, keeping things close at 29-25 at halftime in favor of Bridgeport.
A 26-13 third quarter would give the Bulldogs some more breathing room though and they would use that strong performance to hold on for the win, 67-49.
In the loss, senior Trinity Taylor would lead the team with 21 points.
Fellow senior Haley Johnson chipped in 10 points of her own and senior Skye Tausan added in 8 as well.
Johnson, who ends her career as the all-time assist leader, dished out 7 helpers in the loss.
The loss to the Bulldogs marked the end of the Senior Haley Johnson puts the finishing touches on one of the best careers in Mustang Girls Basketball history.
In her 90 career games, Johnson finishes with 1,214 points which ranks fourth all time in school history.
She also collected 275 assists in her career, a school record. Johnson added in 316 steals in her career, good enough for second all time.
Senior McKinley Grover finishes her career with 712 points and 638 rebounds in 93 career games. Those two marks are good enough for eighth and fourth all time in Mustang history.
Grover also collected 138 career steals in her career.
Senior Trinity Taylor caps her career in which she appeared in 73 games.
She collected 355 points, 317 rebounds, and 78 steals during her four years as a Mustang.
Senior Skye Tausan played in 79 career games. She collected 179 rebounds, 143 points, 88 steals, and 80 assists in her career.
And last but not least, senior Lillee Schmidt put the caps on her Mustang career that included 32 career games.
Schmidt secured 38 rebounds, 16 points, 14 assists, and 9 steals in her career.
“These five seniors have been a big part of the Mustang’s success over the past four years,” said Coach Hurlburt.
“This group of girls could be serious when they needed to be but they also could be goofy. They really have been a lot of fun to work with. They will all be missed next year and it will be hard to replace them,” he added.
The team finished their 2023-24 season with a 14-8 overall record and a District runner-up trophy.