Kelsey McDonough and captains Grace Berding and Reggie Spotts will all continue playing together later this fall for the Trojans.

(ABC 6 News) — At Mason City High School Wednesday afternoon; not one, not two, but three local athletes committed to the same college. The best part: they’re staying right in their backyard.

Riverhawks Girls Basketball’s Reggie Spotts, Grace Berding and Kelsey McDonough signed their letters of intent to play for NIACC Women’s Basketball, Trojans territory practically a stone’s throw away from MCHS.

McDonough explained the appeal of the Trojans, stating “At NIACC, I really like their offense and the way they run things like how we did here. And all three of us like to shoot the three and NIACC is amazing at that, so I think we’ll fit in pretty good.”

Berding has known McDonough and Spotts since youth, adding “I’m very excited to be able to continue to play with them because you never know at the end of your basketball career when the next time is that you’re going to get to play with them. So, I’m really glad I get to spend the next two years with these two.”

Multiple Trojans have eventually parlayed their time under head coach Brad Vaught into Division II and Division I offers. Most recently, St. Ansgar’s Maddi Hillman is now at South Dakota after a campaign that saw her. Spotts aspires to do the same and further her athletic skillset as a Trojan.

“The main goal is I want to get to the D-I level, Maddi from St. Ansgar is going D-I right now after just one year (at NIACC),” Spotts said. “Watching her play and watching the whole NIACC team and how Coach Vaught coaches, I can do the same.”

Landing Spotts was a huge grab for Vaught, the former being a Top-30 recruit across all of Iowa. Spotts also led the Riverhawks in multiple categories by sizeable margins. The senior guard had 358 points, 137 rebounds and 63 assists this past season.

Vaught was very pleased he managed to recruit all three Riverhawks, feeling very confident the young women would gel with the Trojans’ style of basketball.

“We thought they really fit how we like to play,” Vaught explained. “Because we get up and we pressure full-court, we trap and really put the heat on teams… (We’re) really excited and they’re going fit right into what we want to do and how we want to play.”

Other local athletes who played on last season’s NIACC team include Stewartville’s Keeley Steele and Cresco’s Allison Ferrie.

Vaught also recruited John Marshall’s Kiru Othow who signed her letter of intent on March 22.