The new Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum is planning for its first-ever induction ceremony later this month. Museum president Marty Pringle of Otho, says the big night will be held Saturday, March 24th, in Webster City.  “I’ve been working on this museum and the hall of fame for five or six years now and we’re finally getting it going with our first inductees,” Pringle says. “This is all Iowa racing, drag racing, figure-eight racing, motorcycle racing, stock cars, any racing involving Iowa is involved with us.”

The induction ceremony will take place at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds Event Center in Webster City. Doors to open at 5 P-M. Pringle says 37 people will be inducted into the museum’s Hall of Fame. “People don’t realize the history of Iowa racing, it’s just huge,” Pringle says.

Janet Guthrie: A retired professional race car driver from Iowa City. The first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.

“You’ve got Janet Guthrie from Iowa, Billy Moyer, Scott Bloomquist, Tommy Johnson Junior, Justin Brayton just won Daytona on a motorcycle Saturday night, so the history in this state is just unbelievable.”

Pringle is trying to locate a permanent home for the proposed Museum and Hall of Fame. For more information, including the names of the inductees, visit: https://www.facebook.com/iowahalloffameandracingmuseum/

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Gary Blair and Texas A&M played to their strength to beat pesky Drake.

Freshman Chennedy Carter scored 26 points and the fourth-seeded Aggies beat 13th-seed Drake 89-76 on Friday in the opening round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

“We can’t be Drake and get 30 assists in a ball game because we can create off the bounce as well as any team in the country,” said Blair, whose team scored 50 in the paint. “So that’s our strength. Our inside game is our strength.”

Blair’s Aggies used full-court pressure to move comfortably in front in the second quarter in to an 89-76 win, but the Aggie coach had no interest in doing that for too long either.

“What worked in the second half?” Blair asked and answered. “We ran set plays instead of transition. We got 57 points in the first. I was trying to shorten the game to save legs, to make them play defense a little bit longer.”

Khaalia Hillsman added 22 to help send the Aggies to the second round against DePaul. Carter, who had 19 in the opening half, had a complete game. She also had 11 assists, five rebounds and six steals. Some of those steals were made as she became A&M’s last line of defense. Carter, who has been limited at times this season by foul trouble, did not pick up a personal foul. A&M only had six as a team. Drake shot three free throws in the game.

“We kind of moved the ball a little bit,” said Carter. “We had a lot of open and easy shots, and everybody finished out there tonight.”

A&M had an answer for every comeback try to Drake. Danni Williams hit a 3-pointer with 5:44 left put the Aggies back into a 15-point lead.

Drake, which had 29 assists in the game, got as close as 85-76 when Maddy Dean hit a runner in the lane, but A&M moved down court and passed to Hillsman, who scored easily.

Sara Rhine scored 21 had for Drake (26-8) and had a nearly perfect offensive day. She hit 10 of 11 from the field and made her only free throw. Becca Hittner had 19 for Drake (26-8).

The Aggies (25-9) broke the game open in the second quarter, building a 57-42 halftime edge. A&M outshot the Bulldogs from 3-point range in the opening half, with Carter and Danni Williams each hitting three of four. Williams hit four of seven 3s overall and scored 18.

Drake led, 28-26 after a fast-paced first quarter where the Bulldogs hit 12 of 17 shots. It the second quarter the Aggies held them to 12 of 17 shooting and Carter scoring 12 of her points as A&M began to build a big edge.

“We didn’t move,” said Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk, who felt her team passed up open shots worrying about A&M’s quickness. “We passed a lot around the perimeter. They upped their pressure and that’s when we’re at our best, is when people do that and we can back cut out of it or we can start to read screens better. And we stopped doing that. We just started passing around the basket.”

Hillsman, who was weary after the run-and-gun opening to the game, played 13 first-half minutes, but A&M’s inside game was efficient. For the game, she made 10 of her 14 shots. Anriel Howard also contributed inside with some late drives to keep A&M’s lead in double digits. Howard finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

Texas A&M moved to the second round on the Aggies’ home court for the second time in the last three years. Anriel Howard, who set an NCAA tournament record with 27 rebounds in A&M’s 2016 first-round home win over Missouri State, led the Aggies with 10 rebounds this year. A&M has advanced to the second round for the 11th time in the past 12 years. The Aggies have never lost in six first-round games at home.

ENDING THE STREAK

Texas A&M’s win halted a 21-game winning streak by Drake.

NEARLY PERFECT

Rhine only missed once on an active day. The 6-1 Drake sophomore hit 10 of 11 shots from the field and sank her only free throw. She also grabbed 10 rebounds.

UP NEXT

Texas A&M will play DePaul Sunday in the second round. The Blue Demons took a 90-79 win over Oklahoma.

w/ Chris Parks

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The Drake men’s basketball team travels to Northern Colorado Sunday to play in the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (C-I-T). Coach Niko Medved says they were happy to get the overtime win in the first round and keep playing. He says it’s unique since they are on spring break and have been practicing, but also trying to keep things light and have some fun. Northern Colorado is playing in its first games since March 9th when the Bears fell in the Big Sky Conference Tournament semifinals.

Medved isn’t sure how that might impact them for this game. “I think most coaches would say that they would prefer not to have that much time off. It’s really hard to say how that might affect them,” Medved says. Northern Colorado comes into the game at 22-12 and Medved says there’s one thing they have in common.”Both teams are pretty small. They have in may opinion one of the best backcourts that we’ve played this season,” Medved says.

He says Drake is enjoying being the only Big Four men’s program still playing. Medved says they weren’t really expected to have the season that they have had so, it is probably been good for them to get the spotlight to themselves.

Drake heads into the game at 17-16 after the 80-73 overtime victory against Abiliene Christian in the first round of the C-I-T. The Bulldogs and Bears have never played before. Tipp off is 4 p-m.

(Learfield Sports)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Gary Blair and Texas A&M played to their strength to beat pesky Drake. Freshman Chennedy Carter scored 26 points and the fourth-seeded Aggies beat 13th-seed Drake 89-76 on Friday in the opening round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Khaalia Hillsman added 22 to help send the Aggies to the second round against DePaul. Drake shot three free throws in the game. Sara Rhine scored 21 had for Drake (26-8) and had a nearly perfect offensive day. She hit 10 of 11 from the field and made her only free throw.

Texas A&M’s win halted a 21-game winning streak by Drake.

Golf courses are starting to open for the season and many of the clubs across Iowa are hoping to retain members and attract new ones. Some public courses are struggling to stay in operation as young adults, especially those starting families, find they simply don’t have time for the sport. Chad Pitts, executive director of the Iowa Golf Association, says many people take a long break from golf during their lifespan. “They play up until they get married and start having kids, then they take a break from golf because their kids’ activities kind of take over,” Pitts says. “Then, they come back to the game later in life.”

The standard round of golf involves 18 holes, but Iowa has more nine-hole style golf courses than any state in the country. Pitts suggests golf course managers promote the “play nine” concept as way to drum-up business. “So, in other words, don’t think of a round of golf as – it’s going to take you five or six hours. Maybe you can go out and just play nine holes, it’s only going to take you two hours, and you can do it after work,” Pitts says.

Iowa has around 390 golf courses, including 340 that are open to the general public. That’s down from 415 total golf courses in 2006. Pitts says there was a “boom” in new golf courses in the 1990s and early 2000s. Since then, there’s been a “market correction,” according to Pitts. “Golf got overbuilt, for sure, and it’s kind of correcting itself now,” Pitts says. In addition to the time factor, many people who step away from golf cite financial reasons. A season pass to a public course in Iowa can range from roughly $500 to $3,000. Pitts notes operators of some Iowa golf courses get creative by offering lower prices for green fees during non-peak playing times or even allow golfers to play just THREE holes for a few dollars. The Iowa Golf Association, a nonprofit group, is launching a program this summer called “Youth on Course.”

Pitts says it’s designed to attract young people to the game by subsidizing their round of golf. Kids will pay just $5 at courses that sign up for the program. “So, we’re hoping it’ll definitely be a win-win. We can build new golfers for the future – get kids out there playing early in life, but also bring in some business to our member clubs (at times) when they aren’t getting any right now,” Pitts says. While the number of golf facilities in Iowa has declined, more people are joining the Iowa Golf Association. Pitts says there were 20,304 IGA members in 2017. That’s up from 19,880 five years ago.

(Radio Iowa)

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have tried to make their offseason roster turnover about youth, speed and aggressive play. It is an approach coach Andy Reid underscored with the official introduction of new arrivals Sammy Watkins and Anthony Hitchens. Watkins will give new starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes more speed and skill at wide receiver. Hitchens will step in at linebacker.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — NCAA Tournament regular Wichita State will open play facing inexperienced Marshall, which nonetheless is entertaining because of coach Dan D’Antoni’s connections to the NBA. The Thundering Herd runs a lot of NBA plays. The Shockers are making their seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 15th overall. The Thundering Herd is making its first appearance since 1987.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Devonte Graham ignited sluggish Kansas midway through the first half, pouring in 29 points and lifting the top-seeded Jayhawks to a tough 76-60 victory over No. 16 Penn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Lagerald Vick added 14 points for the Jayhawks, who trailed the Ivy League champs by 10 in the early stages before going on a 19-2 run late in the first half to take control. A.J. Brodeur finished with 14 points to lead Penn.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. is one of the biggest unknowns in the NCAA Tournament. Not that he minds at all. Porter says people can say what they want because he’s pretty good at focusing on what’s important for himself. Porter is a big topic of conversation if only because he came in as a preseason All-American yet has only played a total of 25 minutes over two games because of back surgery. The Tigers play Florida State in the first round of the West Region.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Rob Gray drove for a wind-milling layup that just trickled over the rim with 1.1 seconds left, and Trey Kell’s off-balance 3 at the buzzer was no good, giving No. 6 seed Houston a 67-65 victory over 11th-seeded San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars advanced to play the Michigan-Montana winner in the second round on Saturday.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Khadeen Carrington scored 26 points, Desi Rodriguez added 20 and eighth-seeded Seton Hall beat North Carolina State 94-83 in a foul-filled first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament. Myles Powell added 19 points as the Pirates advanced to face Kansas in the second round. Allerik Freeman had 36 points to lead the Wolfpack.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Every now and again Virginia coach Tony Bennett keeps a doorknocker in the Cavaliers locker room back in Charlottesville as reminder of what his team hopes to do this year to “break down the door” and reach the Final Four. Despite being a No. 1 seed twice and a No. 2 seed once in the previous four seasons, Virginia hasn’t been able to reach that goal under Bennett. The top-seeded Cavaliers open tournament play Friday against 16th-seeded UMBC.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Judging by her stats, Iowa junior Megan Gustafson might be the best player in America. She leads the nation in scoring with 25.6 points per game for the sixth-seeded Hawkeyes, who face 11th-seeded Creighton on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Matt Carpenter is showing the St. Louis Cardinals what they were missing while he was sidelined by a back strain. A day after making his spring training debut, Carpenter hit a two-run, wind-aided home run off Justin Verlander in the Cardinals’ 3-1 win over Houston. Carpenter also singled through the right side of the infield in the first inning. He walked twice Tuesday against Miami and reached base in all four plate appearances.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Patrick O’Brien, Tristan Gebbia and Adrian Martinez are being given an equal chance to win the starting quarterback’s job as Nebraska enters spring practice under new coach Scott Frost. Only O’Brien has game experience. The biggest challenge in the move from the pro-style offense to spread option is adjusting to the fast pace.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs’ trades of Alex Smith to the Redskins and Marcus Peters to the Rams became official with the start of the new league year. So did the free-agent signings of wide receiver Sammy Watkins and linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who should fill two of the Chiefs’ biggest holes heading into next season.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Actor Jim Caviezel has played Jesus and golfer Bobby Jones on the big screen. On Wednesday, he portrayed Kansas City Royals bench coach Dale Sveum. Sveum had a medical appointment for his stiff neck and missed the photo shoot, so Caviezel stood in for him. Sveum’s face will then be Photoshopped over Caviezel’s in the team photo.

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Aric Holman had 16 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season, Lamar Peters was four assists shy of a NIT record with a career-high 14 and Mississippi State won its first post-season game since 2010 with a 66-59 victory over Nebraska in the first round. Mississippi State (23-11) is in the postseason for the first time since a 101-96 double-overtime loss to UMass in the 2012 NIT.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — In October 1970, one of two planes carrying the Wichita State football team to a game at Utah State crashed in Colorado, killing 31 people. Six weeks later, Marshall’s team plane returning from a game crashed near its West Virginia campus. On Friday, the two schools forever linked by tragedy will meet in the NCAA Tournament. Marshall and Wichita State have never before played in men’s basketball.