The Bobcats trailed by as many as eight points during the first half but battled all the way back before the final buzzer. Consecutive 3-pointers by Bowie and Morgan Hilderbrand gave Marshalltown (6-10, 1-5) its first lead of the game, 30-28, with 1:46 left to play, but Dakota Pommer made a pair of free throws to get the Dodgers back even.

Frankie Long made 1-of-2 free throws for a 1-point Bobcat lead with 1:12 left, but two more free throws by LJ Maehl put Fort Dodge in front, 32-31, with 45 seconds left.

Marshalltown made turnovers on its next two possessions, but Fort Dodge forced the issue against the Bobcats’ full-court pressure, missing two shots inside the final 15 seconds. MHS struggled to advance the ball up court against Fort Dodge’s pressure, but Millie Heitmann’s overhand heave down the court found Bowie ahead of the defense.

Bowie juggled the ball before scooping up a layup while being fouled with 5.6 seconds left. The free throw was off-target, but Fort Dodge’s outlet pass on the rebound went out of bounds.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Marshalltown's bench reach after beating Fort Dodge on Tuesday

MHS inbounded the ball to Bowie, who ran out the final 1.8 seconds for the win — ending 21-game IAC North losing streak while snapping an 11-game skid in the series with Fort Dodge (7-10, 2-5).

“An absolutely gritty win,” said MHS head coach Brian Murphy. “We looked like a team that played a tough game (Monday) night for much of that game, but the girls showed incredible resilience and I could not be prouder of the way that they willed themselves to a gutty win.”

It marks Marshalltown’s first win in divisional play since leaving the Central Iowa Metropolitan League for the newly formed Iowa Alliance Conference in 2023. The Bobcats were 0-8 in each of their first two seasons in the IAC North and 0-5 to open this winter.

Bowie and Long led the Bobcats with nine points apiece, Heitmann had eight, Jorja Janssen finished with four and Hilderbrand pitched in a pivotal three.

“All three of Millie, Morgan and Kinsley’s 3s came at crucial times, and I love the confidence of all three to take pressure shots when we needed them,” Murphy added.

Janssen led the way with nine rebounds and six assists, while Heitmann had seven boards and Long added six. Ellie Hughes had five rebounds and three steals.

LJ Maehl led Fort Dodge with 19 points, Ellie Doster added seven and Pommer had six. The Dodgers have won 18 of the last 21 games in the series with Marshalltown.

The Bobcats are back at home on Friday night with a divisional clash against Waterloo East.

Marshalltown 33, Fort Dodge 32

MARSHALLTOWN (6-10, 1-5) — Kinsley Bowie 4 0-3 9, Millie Heitmann 3 1-2 8, Jorja Janssen 2 0-0 4, Ellie Hughes 0 0-0 0, Frankie Long 4 1-2 9, Niah Lott 0 0-0 0, Morgan Hilderbrand 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 14 2-7 33.

FORT DODGE (7-10, 2-5) — Meah McCaleb 0 0-4 0, Dakota Pommer 2 2-5 6, Brooklyn Pommer 0 0-2 0, LJ Maehl 6 7-10 19, Ellie Doster 3 1-2 7, Janelle Derrig 0 0-0 0, Bella Lee 0 0-0 0, Grace Nichols 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 11 10-23 32.

MHS 6 4 9 14 — 33

FORT DODGE 9 7 6 10 — 32

3-Point Goals–MHS 3 (Bowie, Heitmann, Hilderbrand). Team Fouls–MHS 16, FD 14. Fouled Out–B. Pommer.