The AHSTW Lady Vikes basketball team struggled to find offense in their 54-19 loss to the Underwood Eagles on Friday. Despite the Lady Vikes opening the season last week, Underwood was playing their first game of the season. This would’ve seemingly given AHSTW a slight edge. However, the Lady Vikes had sat idle for over a week nullifying any potential advantage. With both teams on an equal footing, the game came down to who made the least amount of mistakes.

It was clear from the start that both teams had some rust to shake off. However, the game was competitive early on. Although Underwood went on a 4-0 run to start the game, the Lady Vikes responded and halfway through the first quarter took their first lead on a 3-pointer from Bella Lamp. Lamp would finish the night with 6 points while Makenna Paulsen also chipped in field goals in the first half.  This small lead would be short-lived as the Eagles went on a 13-0 run to close out the quarter with a 17-5 lead. Underwood was led by sophomore guard Ainsley Roberts, who despite only making one field goal in the quarter, made it to the line three times, hitting four of her six free throws.

In the second quarter, Underwood outscored AHSTW 11-8 growing their lead pushing their lead to 15.  Roberts who finished the game with 21 points was able to add 4 more points in the quarter. Mary Stephens also had a good night for the Eagles finishing with 12 points including a pair of field goals in the first half. The Lady Vikes were able to close the gap late and half but still found themselves down 28-13 Coming out of the locker room, the Eagles defense locked down the Lady Vikes. AHSTW picked up their first points of the second half over 5 minutes into the second quarter and only mustered 6 points in the second half.

Throughout the night, both teams struggled with passing, violations, and turnovers in what was an early season game featuring young squads. However, it was Underwood who looked a little sharper as they soared to a 54-19 victory to open their season. Head Coach Jason McCall spoke after the game and gave credit to Underwood for their start and their ability to put the Lady Vikes into uncomfortable situations.

Although the time off did seem to affect the Lady Vikes’ rhythm McCall also said that self-inflicted errors were costly.

Despite the loss, the beauty of a basketball season is that win or loss it is always on to the next one.

The Lady Vikes will return to action on Tuesday when they visit Tri-Center. Tipoff in Neola is scheduled for 6 pm.

The AHSTW boys basketball team struggled to keep up with the Underwood Eagles in their 75-40 loss on Friday. Although it started as a back-and-forth affair, the Eagles pulled away late in the first quarter and never looked back. Underwood’s ability to rebound and get to the free-throw line played a big factor as they moved to 1-1 while handing the Vikings a loss on opening night.

The contest started very evenly matched. Both teams scored their first baskets of the game via the free throw and traded baskets as the game was tied at six more than halfway through the first quarter. From this point on, it would be all Underwood. Led by Garrett Luett (who had eight first quarter points), the Eagles went on a 17-7 run to end the first quarter. Underwood also showcased their ability to get to the line. Underwood converted 6 of their 7 free throws in the first quarter, while AHSTW only visited the line once.

Throughout the night, the Eagles dominated the glass, especially in the later stages of the first and second quarters. Underwood used their solid positioning and size to gain several offense rebounds. These second-chance opportunities often turned into points. Although the Vikings’ defense was able to limit Luett to a single field goal in the second quarter, the Eagles responded with the long ball. Out of their five 3-pointers in the first half, four of them came in the second quarter. Tayden Hull (who led the scoring in the second quarter for the Eagles) knocked down two in quick succession. The Eagles would head to the locker room with a 40-26 lead despite only outscoring AHSTW by four in the second quarter.

There were some bright spots for the Vikings in the first half. Luke Sternberg had a fantastic night scoring 18 points (12 of which came in the first half) while knocking down a three in the second quarter. Ty Nelson contributed a pair of long balls while the freshman Evan Harder knocked one down as well. However, it was just not enough to keep up with the Underwood offense.

Not a whole lot changed in the second half. AHSTW mustered just six points in the third quarter. Luett went on to lead the game in scoring finishing with 20 points while Sternberg wasn’t far behind knocking down three second-half field goals. Head Coach G.G Harris said that scoring runs and rebounds played a factor in Underwood pulling away.

However, with a young team such as the Vikings, Harris was encouraged by their effort and coachablilty.

The Vikings will have a quick turnaround next week when they visit Tri-Center.  Harris knows they will have to put this game behind them and get ready fro the Trojans.

Tipoff in Neola is scheduled for 7:30 pm on Tuesday.

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Glenwood – 67 vs Atlantic – 47

Harlan – 58 vs Shenandoah – 55

Kuemper Catholic – 73 vs Denison-Schleswig – 31

Clarinda – 70 vs St. Albert – 55

Lewis Central – 76 vs Red Oak – 48

Western Iowa Conference 

Underwood – 75 vs AHSTW – 42

Treynor – 63 vs Audubon – 31

IKM-Manning – 64 vs Riverside – 47

Logan-Magnolia – 72 vs Missouri Valley – 58

Treynor – 63 vs Audubon – 31

Rolling Valley Conference 

Exira-EHK – 53 vs Boyer Valley – 47

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 63 vs CAM – 39

Ar-We-Va – 56 vs West Harrison – 33

Glidden-Ralston – 58 vs Paton-Churdan – 44

Corner Conference 

Bedford – 76 vs Sidney – 49

East Mills – 64 vs Fremont-Mills – 27

Stanton – 73 vs Essex – 22

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Southwest Valley – 61 vs Central Decatur – 44

Lenox – 61 vs Wayne – 56

Southeast Warren – 75 vs East Union – 40

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Atlantic – 54 vs Glenwood – 30

Harlan – 66 vs Shenandoah – 62

Kuemper Catholic – 65 vs Denison-Schleswig – 38

Lewis Central – 57 vs Red Oak – 28

St. Albert – 57 vs Clarinda – 29

Western Iowa Conference 

Underwood – 54 vs AHSTW – 19

Riverside – 61 vs IKM-Manning – 42

Logan-Magnolia – 32 vs Missouri Valley – 22

Rolling Valley Conference 

Exira-EHK – 60 vs Boyer Valley – 54

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 39 vs CAM – 22

Glidden-Ralston – 51 vs Paton-Churdan – 27

Corner Conference 

Sidney – 63 vs Bedford – 40

East Mills – 40 vs Fremont-Mills – 28

Stanton – 61 vs Essex – 19

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Central Decatur – 46 vs Southwest Valley – 36

Southeast Warren – 45 vs East Union – 18

Lenox – 47 vs Wayne – 38

Mount Ayr – 49 vs Martensdale-St. Marys – 39

Lenox – 47 vs Wayne – 38

The ACGC Chargers boys’ basketball team had a well-earned 88-57 home win against Woodward-Granger Friday night. The Chargers got off to fast start quickly going up 4-0 at the start, but then the game went back and forth with each team exchanging shot after shot to make it 14-13 with Woodward-Granger leading at the end of the first. Early in the second quarter multiple Hawks players were starting to collect fouls, which ACGC made sure to take advantage of when attacking the rim. Including Jathan South who had 17 first half points, helping his team go up 42-30 at the half.

The Hawks did their best to compete all night long but just could never get over the hump even when they switched their defense from a zone to full court press. The Chargers offense continued to ride the hot hand of senior leader Jathan South who posted a game high 36 points, continually keeping the ACGC lead secure throughout the remainder of the game. The Chargers also had three other players hit double digit scoring including Joe Crawford with 10, Noah Kading with 13, and Payton Policky collecting 14.

ACGC head coach Lance Kading was pleased with the way his offense stayed fresh and never relented in scoring.

An 88-point performance is something to be proud of, but coach Kading would like to see his defense improve.

The Chargers improve to 2-0 with the performance and will take on Van Meter next week at home with tipoff set for 7:15 p.m.

In the girls game it had a very similar start to the boy’s game and a similar ending with the Chargers winning handedly 56-28. ACGC scored the first eight points of the game thanks to the post play of sophomore Stella Largent and precise shooting by Camdyn Richter. But the Hawks quickly turned that around as they had back-to-back triples by Eva Fleshner giving some of the momentum back to Woodward-Granger making it 12-8 when the first quarter ended. But the second quarter is where ACGC turned on the defensive intensity forcing multiple turnovers and keeping the Hawks scoreless minutes into the second. By the time the quarter finished, The Chargers led 24-13. Head Coach Brad Baudler talked about the way his team was able to control the game with their tenacious defense.

ACGC would play an effective third quarter scoring 16 points and only giving up three to silence any chance of a comeback for the Hawks. A large part of that second half dominance for the Chargers was the play of Largent and Richter totaling 31 points together and it caught their coach’s attention.

ACGC improves to 3-0 on the season and will be back in action to play on Tuesday night to take on Van Meter. Coach Baudler knows it will be a good test for his team.

Woodward Granger slips to 2-2 on the season with their loss.

Iowa State is on the doorstep of the college football playoff and the 16th ranked Cyclones can clinch a spot on Saturday with a win over 12th ranked Arizona State in the Big 12 championship in Dallas. Both teams are 10-2. Arizona State will be without injured star receiver Jordyn Tyson but Cyclone coach Matt Campbell says a lot of weapons remain for an offense that averages more than 32 points per game.

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt has passed for 21 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

Campbell says a key to this season has been the Cyclones’ drive to raise their level of play.

In a game this big it is up to the veterans to set the tone. The Cyclones are in the title game for the first time since 2020.

It is at 11:00am kickoff in Dallas. The game will be televised by ABC.

Northern Iowa football coach Todd Stepsis has gone through more than 500 text messages since being name the Panther coach this week. Stepsis moves on to UNI after spending the last six years at Drake and says the process escalated moments after the Bulldogs were eliminated from the FCS Playoffs with a 43-29 loss at Tarleton State of Texas.

Stepsis looks to rebuild a UNI program that has a rich history but has struggled in recent years. The Panthers have not made the FCS playoffs since 2021 and finished 3-9 this past season.

UNI has won 16 Missouri Valley Football Conference championships but none since 2011 and they will need to reel in the Dakota schools that are dominating the Valley standings.

Down the road Stepsis will go to work building the roster but for now his focus has been on the current roster and he has been able to retain the incoming recruiting class.

Stepsis is moving quickly to build his coaching staff and hopes to have it finalized soon.

After edging Northwestern at the buzzer the Iowa Hawkeye men are on the road Saturday to play Michigan. Under first year coach Dusty May the Wolverines are 7-1 and opened Big Ten play with a win at Wisconsin.

That’s Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. May took Florida Atlantic to the final four two years ago and has quickly built a competitive roster at Michigan.

A concern for the Hawkeyes is Michigan’s size on the front line.

The Hawkeyes are also 7-1.

The AHSTW Lady Vikes basketball team might have to find different ways to win as they start the 2024-25 campaign. Last season, the Lady Vikes had success with a trio of seniors. AHSTW finished third in the Western Iowa Conference with a 10-4 conference record. However, with their top three offensive produces graduated, the Lady Vikes will have to find success with a younger team. Currently, AHSTW has no seniors and just a handful of juniors. Head coach Jason McCall knows that they won’t be able to rely on any one person.

Despite the challenge of working with a young team, it’s one of the things McCall is most looking forward to.

The Lady Vikes do have a couple of games under their belt this season. Although they dropped their season opener to Woodbine, they rebounded with a 54-51 win over CAM. Sophomore Bella Lamp led the scoring in their win over CAM with 15 points and McCall thinks she will be someone to watch.

One thing McCall does want to see improve is is offense’s smoothness

Although the Lady Vikes have already played two games, both of them came early last week. Almost like a long bye week, AHSTW has gone 8 days without seeing game action and the Lady Vikes are itching to get back on the court Friday against Underwood.

You can catch all the action on KJAN with pregame coverage starting at 5:50pm

The Exira-EHK girls basketball team will hit the floor this year looking to grow and build on what was a successful season last year. The Spartans return a young but talented roster that went 16-7 a year ago and made a regional final appearance. Head coach Tom Petersen says he and the girls are looking forward to competing.

Despite only graduating one senior, the Spartans remain an extremely young team. The Spartans have just two seniors in Alissa Testroet and Harley Fahn along with several juniors and sophomores. The flip side is that Exira-EHK does return two of their top, including their leading scorer from a year ago Taryn Petersen. Petersen averaged 19.4 points per game and 6.3 steals per game as a freshman last season. Although extremely talented Coach Petersen looks forward to seeing her mature as a player and a leader.

Young talent always has room to grow and Coach Petersen thinks that another year of experience goes a long way in his players’ developement.

Like most sports, protecting the ball and limiting turnovers is key to success. The Spartans finished last season with 409 turnovers and Coach Petersen thinks this is an area of his team’s game that can improve.

Regardless of the numbers the goal for the Spartans is to peak at the right time.

The Spartan’s 2024-25 campaign continues Friday when they take on Boyer Valley at 6 pm.