CARBONDALE ? After a 39-34 victory Tuesday night over Santa Fe Trail, the De Soto girls basketball team celebrated like it had won the Super Bowl of high school hoops as team members jumped up and down on the court.

On the calendar it was just another Kaw Valley League game, but it was so much more than that to the Wildcats (12-1). Coming into this game, the De Soto seniors were 0-7 against the Chargers (8-5). In fact, the only blemish on De Soto’s record is a 39-35 loss to Santa Fe Trail Dec. 16.

“This was a little bit of revenge,” De Soto coach Dwight Spencer said. “This was just a huge obstacle for us to clear.”

Spencer also had another reason to celebrate: The win came on the coach’s 46th birthday.

“Best present I’ve ever had,” he said.

One of the joyous seniors was Allie Heinen, who finished with a team-high 17 points despite only having two points at halftime after missing numerous close-range shots.

“I knew I had to slow my game down and get in control,” Heinen said.

The two squads traded baskets in the first quarter, with the Chargers holding a 9-8 lead going into the second quarter.

Then Santa Fe Trail charged to a 13-0 run in the second quarter. De Soto’s only points came from Heinen at 6:35.

Charger guard Lindsay Boss had two threes in the quarter and finished with a team-high 17 points.

The Wildcat win created a possible tie for the Kaw Valley crown as both De Soto and Santa Fe Trail each have one conference loss.

“It’s going to be a battle,” SFT coach Brenda Dahl said.