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Shots wouldn’t fall and the Exira-EHK Spartans saw their season come to an end in the Class 1A Quarterfinals on Wednesday afternoon. MMCRU won the rematch of last year’s quarterfinal game 50-39.
An early 13-0 run in the first quarter put the Royals out front and Exira-EHK would never get closer than 7 points the rest of the game. The Royals led 28-14 at half and 43-25 by the end of the third. MMCRU made it difficult for the Spartans to get any paint touches for much of the game and they settled for a lot of outside shots. It was a rough go of it from outside with the Spartans going just 4-32 from three and only 15-51 from the field in the game. Spartan junior Quinn Grubbs said their defense wasn’t good enough early either.
The Royals were able to get their offense going a little bit better and also gained an edge by dominating the glass. The Royals outrebounded the Spartans 44-21, limiting the Spartans to only 4 second chance opportunities in the game. Emily Dreckmann scored 18 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. Ellie Hilbrands added 8 points and 13 reboounds for the Royals. MMCRU pick up their first ever state tournament win as a merged district and improved to 24-1. They’ll advance to take on defending champion Newell-Fonda on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
The Spartans were led by 11 points each from Quinn Grubbs and Mollie Rasmussen. Exira-EHK finishes another impressive season with a 23-2 record. The Spartans said goodbye to seniors Alisa Partridge, Mollie Rasmussen, and Macy Emgarten. After the game Rasmussen talked about the accomplishments she can be proud of.
Grubbs was thankful for the time she has had with a good group of seniors and knows it will be a tough act to follow for the next guard.
It wasn’t the finish the Spartans had in mind, but they sure do have a lot to be proud of again.
Class 2A Quarterfinals:
#2 Denver 58, #7 Underwood 51
Denver sophomore Macy Matthias knocked down two 3-pointers to put her team ahead to stay late in the third quarter and the second-seeded Cyclones went on to beat seventh-seeded Underwood 58-51 to start Day 3 of the 2022 state tournament. Denver improved 24-2 with the victory. The Cyclones also got a big lift from senior starter Sydney Eggena, who was averaging a modest 6.5 points. She finished with 18 on 7-for-12 shooting to lead all scorers and grabbed six rebounds. Teammate Reese Johnson filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and four steals, while Grace Hennessy added 10 points, six rebounds and two steals. Underwood (22-3) reached the state tournament for the first time since IGHSAU Hall of Famer Jamie Boyd led the Eagles to consecutive state titles in 2003 and 2004. And with only one senior, they have a promising future. That senior, Kendra Kuck, led Underwood with 13 points. She also made three steals, blocked a shot and handed out an assist. Juniors Aliya Humphrey and Leah Hall each scored 10 points for the Eagles and Humphrey added five assists. Alizabeth Jacobsen, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who has star potential, grabbed 13 rebounds, blocked two shots and scored nine points on 4-for-5 shooting.
#3 Central Lyon 42, #6 Cascade 40
A dramatic finish ended the Class 2A quarterfinals and sent third-seeded Central Lyon into the next round. Sophomore Desta Hoogendoorn took a bounce pass from Regan Van Wyhe and hit a short jumper in the lane at the buzzer to give Central Lyon a 42-40 victory over Cascade. Hoogendoorn finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Lions (23-2), who’ll face second-seeded Denver in a semifinal at 11:45 a.m. Friday. She also had three assists and two steals and blocked four shots. Addison Klosterbuer added 14 points with four 3-pointers and nine rebounds for Central Lyon, while Kaylee Davis had six points and seven rebounds. Ally Hoffman led Cascade with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Alyssa Lux added eight points, three assists and three steals for the Cougars (20-4), who made the tournament for the eighth time in 10 seasons.
CLASS 1A Quarterfinals
#1 Newell-Fonda 77, #8 North Mahaska 44
The top-seeded Mustangs swept past eighth-seeded North Mahaska 77-44 to open the Class 1A quarterfinals and now sit just two victories from a record-tying fourth consecutive state championship. They did it the usual way – with swarming defense that produced fastbreak layups and points in bunches. Newell-Fonda came up with 29 steals in this one and forced 40 turnovers in all. The Mustangs (24-1) weren’t perfect. They had 23 turnovers themselves. But they shot 53 percent in the second and 50.8 percent for the game and amassed 46 points off turnovers. All 15 players saw action for coach Dick Jungers and 11 scored. Macy Sievers, the lone senior who starts for the Mustangs, led with 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting – mostly layups after steals. She also grabbed four rebounds, handed out three assists and made six steals. Sophomore Kierra Jungers, the coach’s daughter, had 15 points, five rebounds, five blocks and five steals and Mary Walker scored 11. Freshman Kinzee Hinders came off the bench to get nine points, three rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Isabel Bartek was the only starter who didn’t score, but she contributed five assists, four rebounds and four steals. Ten Newell-Fonda players recorded at least one steal.
#4 MMCRU 50, #5 Exira-EHK 39
In a repeat pairing from last year’s Class 1A quarterfinals, fourth-seeded MMCRU jumped out early and beat fifth-seeded Exira-EHK 50-39 to move on to Friday’s semifinal round. The Royals (25-1) turned the tables after losing to the Spartans 60-55 in the quarterfinal round a year ago. A fast start did the trick. MMCRU made six of its first eight shots, including three 3-pointers, in bolting to a 15-2 lead less than 4 minutes into the game. The Royals were up 17-7 at the end of the quarter and the Spartans never found enough office to cut into that lead. Exira-EHK managed only six field goals in the first half and shot 29.4 percent for the game. Emily Dreckman led the winners with 18 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Taylor Harpenau and Mya Holmes each scored nine points and Ellie Hilbrands added eight points to go with 13 rebounds. Holmes complemented her scoring with six rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Quinn Grubbs and Mollie Rasmussen led Exira-EHK (22-2) with 11 points each. Macy Emgarten added eight points and eight rebounds for the Spartans, whose only other loss was to Class 2A semifinalist Panorama in late January. This was Exira-EHK’s sixth trip to state in the last eight years and only the second time the Spartans failed to reach the semifinals in that span.
#2 Bishop Garrigan 77, #7 Burlington Notre Dame 42
6-3 junior Audi Crooks poured in 32 points as Bishop Garrigan raced past previously unbeaten Burlington Notre Dame 77-42 and into the Class 1A semifinals for the third straight year. Crooks scored mainly on lob passes from her teammates in making 15-of-18 shots. And two of those misses didn’t matter because she grabbed the rebound and went right back up to score. College coaches have been impressed by how deftly she catches the ball and that was apparent when she easily snared a long pass from point guard Molly Joyce and banked in a layup. Joyce also was a big factor, scoring 25 points to go with six assists, five rebounds and seven steals. Abbie Capesius added 12 points and eight rebounds for the second-seeded Golden Bears, who shot 55 percent and will take a 23-3 record into the semifinals at 3:15 p.m. Friday. Win that one and Bishop Garrigan would be in the championship game for the third straight year. The Golden Bears lost to Newell-Fonda in their two previous appearances. Bishop Garrigan has won 20 straight since a 3-3 start against a rigorous schedule that included games with Class 5A Iowa City West, 3A tournament semifinalist West Lyon and Newell-Fonda, which beat the Golden Bears 74-70.
#6 North Linn 58, #3 Springville 56
WIC Girls Basketball
MVP: Aleah Hermanson, Audubon.
First Team: *Aleah Hermansen (Audubon, sr.); *Clara Tiegland (Treynor, jr.); Kendra Kuck (Underwood, sr.); *Jaci Christensen (Audubon, sr.); Maya Moss (Lo-Ma, jr.); Aliyah Humphery (Underwood, jr.); Delaney Goshorn (AHSTW, soph.). *Unanimous Selection
Second Team: Alizabeth Jacobsen (Underwood, soph.); Macanna Guritz (Lo-Ma, jr.); Alexa Schwartz (Treynor, soph.); Greylan Hornbeck (Lo-Ma, jr.); Taylor Kenkel (Tri-Center, soph.); Bianca Cadwell (IKM-Manning, sr.); Elly Henderson (Riverside, fr.).
WIC Boys Basketball
MVP: Raydden Grobe, AHSTW
First Team: *Raydden Grobe (AHSTW, sr.); *Brayden Lund (AHSTW, jr.); *Kyle Sternberg (AHSTW, jr.); Thomas Schwartz (Treynor, sr.); Grady Jeppersen (Riverside, soph.); Jack VanFossen (Underwood, soph.); Michael Turner (Tri-Center, jr.); Jace Tams (Treynor, soph.). *Unanimous Selections.
Second Team: Mason Boothby (Underwood, soph.); Carson Bauer (Audubon, jr.); Cole Staska (Missouri Valley, sr.); Cole Scheffler (AHSTW, jr.); Ayden Salais (Riverside, jr.); Kent Elliott (Tri-Center, jr.); Aiden Bell (Riverside, jr.).
WIC Academic All-Conference honors (Must maintin a 3.25 cumularive grade point average; Must be a Senior)
Wrestling
Girls Basketball
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Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger feels his team has regained its stride. After stumbling to a 3-9 record in Big 12 play the Cyclones have won four straight and bolstered their NCAA Tournament hopes heading into Wednesday night’s final home game against Oklahoma State.
Otzelberger feels the Cyclones are playing well at the right time.
Otzelberger wants his team to continue building momentum
The Cyclones rallied to beat the Cowboys 84-81 in overtime in the first meeting in Stillwater.
Otzelberger says many of the keys in the first game remain the same.
Iowa women’s standout Caitlin Clark has been named the Big Ten Player of the Year. The sophomore led the nation in scoring and assists as the Hawkeyes claimed a share of the conference regular season crown.
It is the fourth time in the past five years a Hawkeye has won the award.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder says it is a big honor for the program
The 12th ranked Hawkeyes are the second seed in this week’s Big Ten Tournament and will open Friday night against the winner of Thursday’s game between Minnesota and Northwestern.
Drake forward Tucker DeVries has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. DeVries led the Bulldogs in scoring at just over 13 and a half points per game as the Bulldogs posted their fourth straight 20-win season and finished tied for second in the Valley race. He also made the transition to play for his father Darian.
Darian DeVries says it was pretty easy to adjust to coaching his son.
The Bulldogs are the third seed in the Missouri Valley Tournament and will play Southern Illinois Friday night in St. Louis.
Class 1A Quarterfinals
10:30—#4 Lake Mills vs. #5 Danville
12:15—#1 Grand View Christian vs. #8 Bellevue
2:00—#2 North Linn vs. #7 North Mahaska
3:45—#3 St. Mary’s, Remsen vs. #6 West Harrison, Mondamin
Class 2A Quarterfinals
5:30—#1 Central Lyon, Rock Rapids vs. #8 Red Oak
7:15—#4 Pella Christian vs. #5 Roland-Story
Class 2A Quarterfinals
10:30—#3 Mid-Prairie, Wellman vs. #6 Monticello
12:15—#2 Rock Valley vs. #7 Jesup
Class 3A Quarterfinals
2:00—#1 Dallas Center-Grimes vs. #8 Carroll
3:45—#4 Winterset vs. #5 Marion
5:30—#2 Decorah vs. #7 Central DeWitt
7:15—#3 Assumption, Davenport vs. #6 Humboldt
Class 4A Quarterfinals
10:30—#4 Cedar Rapids, Kennedy vs. #5 Waukee Northwest
12:15—#1 Ames vs. #8 Burlington
2:00—#2 Cedar Falls vs. #7 Prairie, Cedar Rapids
3:45—#3 Johnston vs. #6 Ankeny
Class 4A Substate Finals
Substate 1 @ Dallas Center-Grimes: Ankeny 62, Waukee 57
Substate 2 @ Ankeny Centennial: Ames 50, Des Moines Hoover 33
Substate 3 @ Marshalltown: Cedar Falls 39, Valley 36
Substate 4 @ Solon: Cedar Rapids Kennedy 53, Cedar Rapids Washington 36
Substate 5 @ Muscatine: Burlington 55, Pleasant Valley 40
Substate 6 @ Clinton: Prairie 41, Dubuque Hempstead 20
Substate 7 @ Lincoln High: Waukee Northwest 57, Urbandale 45
Substate 8 @ Indianola: Johnston 55, Dowling Catholic 31
Class 3A Substate Finals
Substate 3 @ Maquoketa: Assumption 58, Wahlert Catholic 47
Class 3A Quarterfinals
#3 Ballard 43, #6 Center Point-Urbana 29 Box Score
-Ballard held Center Point-Urbana to only two field goals in the second half and turned a two-point halftime defecit into a runaway win. Paige Noe had 11 points and Lilly Hildebrand added 9.
Class 4A Quarterfinals
#1 Dallas Center-Grimes 64, #8 Benton Community 38 Box Score
-The Mustangs roared to a 14-3 lead by making six threes in their first seven shots and never looked back. DC-G shot 56 percent for the game.
#4 Cedar Rapids Xavier 62, #5 Central DeWitt 55 Box Score
-Freshman Libby Fandel dropped 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals to propel Xavier to the win. Central DeWitt got within two in the final minute but Xavier never trailed.
#2 Glenwood 64, #7 Bondurant-Farrar 59 Box Score
-Glenwood built a 17 point lead in the second half and held off a late rally to advance to the semifinals for the second straight year. Bondurant-Farrar cut the lead all the way down to 3 late but a couple of steals helped the Rams preserve the win. Jenna Hopp and Madison Camden each scored 18 points to lead the Rams.
#3 Bishop Heelan 54, #6 Waverly-Shell Rock 33 Box Score
-Brooklyn Stanley scored 23 points to lead Heelan to the win. The Crusaders outrebounded the Go-Hawks 29-12 and improved to 22-2.
Class 2A Quarterfinals
#1 Dike-New Hartford 64, #8 South Central Calhoun 44 Box Score
-Dike-New Hartford kicked it into high gear in the fourth quarter and quickly turned a 7 point lead into a twenty point advantage. Payton Petersen dropped 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the defending champion Wolverines.
8:30 p.m. – #4 Panorama (24-1) vs. #5 Iowa City Regina
The Exira-EHK Spartans are back in the Class 1A State Girls Basketball Tournament field for the 6th time in the past 8 seasons. Spartans Head Coach Tom Petersen is grateful for another appearance.
In a unique occurrence they will get a rematch of their quarterfinal round match-up from last season when they square off against MMCRU at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. Last year’s meeting was a good one. The Royals led by 2 heading into the fourth quarter and the Spartans fought their way to a 60-55 win. Quinn Grubbs scored 25 points in that win, 12 of those coming in the final quarter. Coach Petersen said it’ll be a great challenge again.
MMCRU returned most of their key players from last season, just like Exira-EHK. The Royals have some skilled height on the roster. Emily Dreckman comes in averaging 17.7 points per game and Ellie Hilbrands has poured in 15 per outing, both players stand 6′ tall. Royals Head Coach Gillian Letsche has been impressed with the mental growth her team has made in the past year.
Coach Letsche said the Royals are excited to get this match-up again.
We’ll have coverage of the Spartans and the Royals on Wednesday afternoon. Chris Parks will have the call with pregame at 2:15 p.m. and tipoff set for 3:15 p.m. in Des Moines. Tune in on AM 1220, FM 101.1, and online at KJAN.com
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