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By Ryan Young, City High senior

IOWA CITY – The City-West girls’ basketball rivalry is perhaps the biggest high school rivalry in the state of Iowa in recent years.

The two schools are preparing to face off again tonight when the stakes couldn’t be higher. Winner move on to Des Moines, loser go home.

“We want to play the whole 32 minutes as hard as we can,” City High senior Aliyah Gustafson said.

City already has beaten West High twice this season, once by 18 points and once by only 2. The Little Hawks look to build upon their 13-game win streak and return back to the state tournament for the second year in a row.

“We want to focus on ourselves and control what we can control,” City High Coach Bill McTaggart said. “We want to play great defense and shut down a few of their players.”

West High, led by Iowa recruit Ally Disterhoft, is 17-5 and beat Bettendorf in the substate semifinals 58-41, after receiving a first round bye.

“We are just taking things one game at a time,” senior Mickey Hansche said. “We are completely focused and ready to go tonight.”

The game will start at 7 tonight at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School. Tickets are $6 for all, and students are encouraged to wear black.