DUALS AT ATLANTIC

Lewis Central – 66 vs Atlantic – 18

Missouri Valley – 45 vs Atlantic – 24

Clarinda – 51 vs Atlantic – 24

SWAT – 43 vs Clarinda – 36

Missouri Valley – 34 vs SWAT- 28

Lewis Central – 42 vs SWAT – 36

Clarinda – 46 vs Lewis Central – 36

Clarinda – 48 vs Missouri Valley – 36

Individual  

Atlantic – Leiah Thomas (3), Haley Armstrong (3), Cadence Kinzie (2), Aspen Smith

SWAT – Destiny Fry (3), Erin South (3), Bailey Lillard (3), Stella Beattie (3), Kendrick Madsen (2), Addi Glade (2), Nadia South (2), Jenna Hardisty

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Kuemper Catholic – 75 vs Atlantic – 44

St. Albert – 56 vs Harlan – 53

Creston – 55 vs Denison-Schleswig – 53

Lewis Central – 68 vs Clarinda – 47

Glenwood – 70 vs Shenandoah – 55

Western Iowa Conference 

Audubon – 65 vs AHSTW – 53

Tri-Center – 82 vs Missouri Valley – 57

Treynor – 68 vs Riverside – 40

Underwood – 73 vs Logan-Magnolia – 31

Corner Conference 

Bedford – 69 vs Griswold – 15

Stanton – 36 vs Fremont-Mills – 33

East Mills – 52 vs Sidney – 28

Rolling Valley Conference 

Woodbine – 77 vs Exira-EHK – 39

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 70 vs CAM – 45

Ar-We-Va – 53 vs Paton-Churdan – 42

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Southwest Valley – 59 vs Central Decatur – 58

West Central Activities Conference 

Madrid – 62 vs ACGC – 20

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Kuemper Catholic – 60 vs Atlantic – 41

St. Albert – 74 vs Harlan – 43

Creston – 54 vs Denison-Schleswig – 44

Clarinda – 49 vs Lewis Central – 42

Glenwood – 54 vs Shenandoah – 51

Western Iowa Conference 

Riverside – 45 vs Treynor – 43

Tri-Center – 24 vs Missouri Valley – 21

Underwood – 43 vs Logan-Magnolia – 21

Corner Conference 

Bedford – 45 vs Griswold – 44 (OT)

Fremont-Mills – 64 vs Stanton – 27

Sidney – 37 vs East Mills – 35

Rolling Valley Conference 

Exira-EHK-Audubon – 59 vs Woodbine – 31

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 46 vs CAM – 38

Paton-Churdan – 52 vs Ar-We-Va – 18

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Southwest Valley 46 vs Central Decatur – 44

West Central Activities Conference 

ACGC – 62 vs Madrid – 35

After winning back-to-back games to start the post winter break schedule, the Atlantic Trojans struggled against the Kuemper Catholic Knights as they fell 60-41 Friday night. Although they did good things at different points throughout the game, the Trojans were never able to sustain it. On the other end, the perimeter shooting was the story for Kuemper Catholic. The knights knocked down 10 three pointers, eight of which came in the first half. Despite keeping the game close for the first quarter and a half, things got away from the Trojans by halftime, and they would trail by double-digits the rest of the game.

Kuemper Catholic hit the ground running in the opening frame. The first two possessions saw the Knights hit back-to-back threes to open with a six-point lead. It was apparent right away that Kuemper Catholic wanted to shoot from the perimeter. They did an excellent job of moving the ball around to open up the three point shooting, and it paid off for Kaylie Simons, who nailed five long balls in the first half alone. Meanwhile, the Trojans struggled on offense early. Scoring their first points halfway through the opening quarter, Atlantic hit just two field goals in the frame. However, the back half of the first was much better than their start. Atlantic seemed to gain some momentum that was aided by a late Makenna Schroeder three-pointer as kept the game in reach.

Down by five heading into the second quarter, the Trojans had a much better start to the second quarter. They were able to keep pace with the Knights and slightly narrowed the deficit. Schroeder added two more threes for the Trojans as it was their most productive quarter. However, it was also Kuemper Catholic’s most productive. Simon drained three of her five first-half threes in the second frame while Elsa Tiefenthaler scored eight points of her own.  Despite the promising start, the Trojans struggled in the middle part of the quarter. In a three-minute span, Atlantic was outscored 10-5, and although the Trojans had a better end to the half, the damage was already done as they found themselves down by 13 heading into the break.

Little changed in the second half. Atlantic was held to single digits in each of the final two quarters. Dylin Ball led the team with four points in the second half, all of which came in the fourth quarter. Although Kuemper Catholic’s perimeter shooting cooled down tremendously, they didn’t need it to be lights out. Thanks to the lead they were able to build, the Knights played a low-risk and controlled second half. Tiefenthaler led the team with six second half points to bring her total to 19, and although Simons was quiet in the second half, her work in the first half was enough to earn her a share of the game lead in points with Tiefenthaler. Ultimately, Kuemper Catholic was the better team as Atlantic struggled with offensive consistency and efficiency while struggling to contain the three-point shooting early. Head coach Dan Vargason said the struggles on offense were the main issue.

However, the defense didn’t help the issue.

As the season heads towards its final month, Vargason knows that its the small things that make a big difference.

The Trojans will be back on the hardwood on the road next Tuesday when they visit Clarinda. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., and you can catch the action on KJAN with coverage beginning at 5:50 p.m.

A tough week for the Atlantic Trojans came to an end as they fell to the Kuemper Catholic Knights 75-44 in Carroll on Friday night. From start to finish the Knights were the better team. They moved the ball well, had great play from their guards, took advantage of their opportunities, and made life difficult for the Atlantic offense. Although Gavin McLaren and Kale Jensen put forth a strong effort, it was not enough to keep up with Kuemper Catholic as the Knights scored at least 16 points in every quarter. The Trojans, now 2-8, will look to rebound as they enter the home stretch.

The Knights roared out of the gate in the opening quarter, in what turned out to be their most productive frame. Scoring 21 points, they quickly built a double-digit lead. Five of the four starters scored at least two field goals, led by guard Brock Badding, who ended the quarter with five. All throughout the night, but particularly in the first quarter, the Knights had lots of success driving the lane. Meanwhile, Kuemper Catholic made things difficult for the Trojans. Atlantic scored just four points on a pair of field goals from Gavin and Hudson McLaren as they struggled to find offensive production, especially in the paint. The lack of offensive production, combined with the efficiency of the Kuemper Catholic offense, saw the Trojans down by 17 at the end of the first quarter.

Although the momentum solely sided with the Knights for the entirety of the first quarter, the Trojans had a good start to the second quarter. They outscored the knights 8-5 in the opening three minutes, which included a Gavin McLaren three-pointer. However, Kuemper Catholic quickly tightened up. The Trojans were held to just five more points the rest of the frame. On the other end, the Knights added 14 more, once again led by Badding, who added eight more, including a pair of three-pointers. Due to their success in the paint early on, the perimeter opened up for the Knights as they hit four of their seven long balls in the second. Although their three-point shooting wasn’t prolific, it helped build on what became an insurmountable 40-17 lead at the half.

Although the outcome didn’t change in the second half, it was Atlantic’s most productive quarter. Gavin McLaren hit back-to-back threes to add to his team leading 13 points, while Jensen picked up five to bring his total to 12. However, at this point in the game, the starters’ time was limited, as both teams started to work in younger players. Freshmen Benton McLaren and James Brauer both showed well for the Trojans late in the third and fourth quarters. McLaren showed a particular knack at driving the rim and was rewarded with a field goal and multiple trips to the free-throw line. However, Kuemper Catholic’s young players were able to keep the distance as the clock wound down. Despite the loss, head coach Dalton Franken was pleased with the effort Gavin McLaren and Kale Jensen put forth.

Although he thought there were areas in which the Trojans could have been better, he also credited the Knights.

With a little over a month left in the regular season, Franken’s message centers around setting the tone and competing for a full 32 minutes.

The schedule gets a little lighter for the Trojans, who will take on Clarinda and Harlan next week. They will be back in action Tuesday on the road against the Cardinals, with the tipoff set for 7:30 pm.

The third ranked Iowa State men are 15-0 for the first time in school history and return to action Saturday by hosting Oklahoma State. The Cyclones are 2-0 in the Big 12. The Cowboys are 13-2 overall and are 1-1 in conference play after a win over Central Florida.

That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger, who says transition defense and defending the rim will be important factors in the game.

Dominating the early stages of second halves have been a big part of ISU’s unbeaten start. It allowed them to overcome a sluggish first half in a Wednesday night 70-60 win at Baylor.

Iowa will need to overcome a lack of size in most of their games in Big Ten play and that will be on display Sunday when the 19th ranked Hawkeyes host 16th ranked Illinois. The Illini are 3-1 in the Big Ten and Iowa coach Ben McCollum says they are one of the biggest teams in the country.

McCollum says the Illini are a well rounded team.

Attendance is on the rise at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in McCollum’s first season and Sunday’s crowd could be the biggest in several years.

LOS ANGELES – University of Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the 2025-26 John R. Wooden Award Top 25 Midseason Watch List, it was announced Wednesday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

It is the 50th anniversary season of college basketball’s most prestigious individual honor.

Selected by a midseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 25 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award All-American Team™ and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.

Stirtz has been in double figures in 13 games with a team-high seven 20-point contests this season. He has scored 20+ in three straight games against UMass Lowell, UCLA and Minnesota.

The Liberty, Missouri, native is averaging 18 points, five assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in leading the Hawkeyes to a 12-3 start – the best for the program since the 2020-21 season.  He ranks in the top six in the Big Ten in points, assists and steals, while posting .500/.407/.819 shooting splits in 35.4 minutes per game.

Stirtz is the only Big Ten player to have 245+ points and 70+ assists this season and he’s one of five players nationally with 245+ points, 25+ steals, 70+ assists and 35+ rebounds.

Stirtz is one of six Big Ten Conference players on the list, along with Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, Indiana’s Tucker Devries, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton.

The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications.  Winners and All-Americans will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on April 10, 2026.

The Hawkeyes return to action Sunday, hosting No. 16 Illinois at 11 a.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com.

TRIANGULAR AT EAST MILS

East Mills – 29 vs Griswold – 12

Southwest Iowa – 24 vs Griswold – 18

Individual 

Griswold – Alexis Dofner (2), Addalyn Phelps (2), Zoey Baker

QUAD AT TRI-CENTER

Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine – 54 vs Harlan – 12

Ridge View – 54 vs Harlan – 12

ATU – 36 vs Harlan – 18

Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine – 54 vs ATU – 24

Ridge View – 58 vs ATU – 18

TRIANGULAR AT DENISON-SCHLESWIG

Atlantic – 58 vs Denison-Schleswig – 24

Atlantic – 65 vs Harlan – 6

Harlan – 42 vs Denison-Schleswig – 39

Individual

Atlantic – Dayton Van Horn (2), Keaton Schroeder (2), Collin Harris (2), Braxton Hass (2), Landon Hagen (2), Kalvin Hayes (2), Jayden Harter (2), Dreven Smith (2), Donovan Hedrington (2), Travin Thomas (2), Cooper Woosley

QUAD AT ACGC

ACGC – 48 vs East Union – 30

ACGC – 42 vs Van Meter – 35

Southwest Valley – 42 vs ACGC – 36

Southwest Valley – 36 vs East Union – 30

Southwest Valley – 40 vs Van Meter – 32

Individual 

ACGC – Brandon Carlson (3), Charlie Christensen (3), Ryder Cline (3), Carter Richter (3), Jack Sheeder (3), Chase Slaybaugh (3), Angel Martinez, Blake Ganzer, Gavin Pederson

Southwest Valley – Gavin Wetzel (3), Krew Schafer (2), Degan Farwell (2), Wyatt Shires (2), Brody Sparks (2), Brylan Marks (2), Griffin Wetzel (2), Ben Waddell (2), Lucas James, Carson Cooper, Erik West

TRIANGULAR AT NODAWAY VALLEY

Nodaway Valley – 42 vs Central Decatur – 40

Nodaway Valley – 51 vs Lenox – 21

Nodaway Valley – 43 vs Woodward-Granger – 34

Individual

Nodaway Valley – Josh Nelson (3), Ty Strode (3), Kevin Steele (3), Matthew Nelson (3), Caleb Christensen (3), Ahston Honnold (3), Thomas Herrick (2), Jett Christensen (2), Derek Raasch