The varsity girls basketball team hosted the 43rd annual Newton Invitational Tournament on January 24-26. A total of eight teams competed in the tournament. Railers took sixth out of the eight teams.

“It was kind of disappointing the place we got,” sophomore Lindsey Antonowich said. “But i think we got better.”

To start off the tournament, the eighth ranked Railers played the number one seed, Bishop Miege. The Railers lost to the Stags 69-35.

¨If we communicated more,¨ senior Megan Bartel said. ¨I feel like that would help us out on offense.¨

Because of the result of the first game, they had to play the Garden City Buffaloes. Railers trailed the Buffaloes 16-19 at half.

“We knew we could win it,” sophomore Kenzi Gillispie said. “We just needed to have confidence in ourselves and each other.”

A late shot by Bartel tied both teams at 30. Later on in the game, senior DesiRay Kernal made a layup that secured their victory.

¨Coach told me to drive left,¨ Kernal said. ¨i drove it, i kind of just threw it up there and it went in.¨

Railers defeated the Buffaloes 35-33, with the Buffaloe bench having a technical foul.

¨That was a great feeling,” senior Claire Slechta said. “We thought we fouled at first but then they got the tech so that was awesome.”

On January 26, the Railers played Shawnee Mission Northwest Cougars for fifth place. The Railers lost to the Cougars 65-44.

“I feel like we didn’t come together,” senior Kalli Anderson said. “I feel like we didn’t play as a team.”

The Railers will host the Salina Central Mustangs on January 29.