With a 57-38 regional final win over GTRA, the Exira-EHK Audubon Spartans Girls are back at the state tournament for the first time since 2022. They enter Des Moines with a 22-1 record, and more impressively, a 22-game win streak. To get here, they defeated Griswold, CAM and GTRA by an average margin of victory of 22 points in the regional tournament. They will take on the St. Albert Saintes who sport their own impressive 21-3 record. Head Coach Tom Petersen is not new to coaching teams with great records, but that fact does not take away from how special these girls are in their own right.

The Spartans responded to that first loss by rattling off 22 wins in a row, all by double digits. Coach Petersen admires how much this team has grown from day one:

It takes one look at the stat sheet to know that Exira-EHK prioritizes defense. They only allow 36 points per game which is the 7th best defense in Class 1A. This will be a key to victory for the Spartans:

As the season has progressed, Coach Petersen has prioritized how the team can play more as a unit and not just a group of individuals:

Taryn Petersen leads the team in scoring (20 ppg) and assists (5.5 apg). She is one of two captains on the team and one of the biggest leaders for this group:

The Spartans certainly have star power, but a lot of their success is due to girls who put in work behind the scenes and play their role:

On paper, these are very similar basketball teams. They average the exact same number of points (61.9 ppg) and allow just about the same as well. The State Quarterfinal between 22-1 Exira-EHK Audubon and 21-3 St. Albert will take place at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines on Wednesday, March 4th. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:45pm with pregame coverage beginning at 6:00pm on KJAN Radio Atlantic.