AMES, Iowa (AP) — Georges Niang had 20 of his 23 points in the second half and No. 17 Iowa State rallied from a 21-point deficit to stun No. 15 Oklahoma 77-70 on Monday night and snap a two-game losing streak. Monte Morris had 19 points for the Cyclones (21-8, 11-6 Big 12), who maintained their shot at a share of the conference title following one of the wilder league games in years.

Oklahoma raced to a 19-point halftime lead. But Iowa State score 22 straight points in just over 5 minutes and outscored the Sooners 59-33 in the second half. Buddy Hield had 26 points for the Sooners (20-9, 11-6), who shot just 32 percent in the second half in losing for just the second time in 10 games.

The second-ranked Spartans ran their record to 25-0 with a 63-48 victory over No. 14 Bedford in a first-round Class 1A game. Rachel Smith, the only senior on either team, hit a 3-pointer just 10 seconds into the game and Exira/EHK led the rest of the way.

This is the first state tournament trip for the combined Exira/EHK district, though both schools enjoyed success in the past. Exira made it state six times and won the 1A title in 2011 behind Hallie Christofferson, who went on to star at Iowa State. Elk Horn-Kimballton qualified eight times and in Jan Jensen, had one of the state’s best ever in the six-player era.

Smith finished with 22 points to lead all scorers. She shot 8-for-16 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out four assists.

Freshman Sophia Peppers added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans and Rose Anderson turned in a solid game with seven points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Bedford, which made it to Des Moines for the fourth time in five years, was led by Fallyn Beemer’s 15 points. McKenzie Jackson scored 10 for the Bulldogs, while Callie Calfee and Emily Weed each had nine. Weed also grabbed eight rebounds.

Exira/EHK led 24-18 at halftime, then dominated the third quarter behind Smith, who scored 10 points in the period and fed Sadie Schultes for a jumper that made it 44-30. Bedford never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.

Exira/EHK, which had 13 steals, will play its semifinal game at 10 a.m. Thursday. Bedford finishes 19-5.

(IGHSAU)

Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 63, Bedford 48

Newell-Fonda 70, Colo-NESCO 42

Notre Dame, Burlington 76, Central Lyon, Rock Rapids 60

Springville 53, Fremont Mills, Tabor 50

Exira EHK girls will play in semi-final action Thursday morning at 10am join Jim Field along with Chris Parks for the pregame at 9am from The Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa is slashing prices on student season football tickets after a disappointing turnout in 2014. The Hawkeyes are offering ticket packages for just $125 – a $50 reduction from last season – for students who renew by May. 15. Incoming freshmen and transfers have until July 31 to purchase discounted season tickets.

Iowa, like many schools around there country, has seen its student attendance numbers drop sharply in recent years. The Hawkeyes drew 10,000 students a game as recently as 2012. But just over 6,000 students purchased season tickets in 2014.

The Kansas City Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on All-Pro pass rusher Justin Houston, a person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the Chiefs have not announced the move. It was widely expected given the relatively little progress that Kansas City has made with Houston and his representatives on a long-term deal.

The two sides still have until July 15 to negotiate a contract, and it is not certain whether Houston will immediately sign his tender. As an outside linebacker, the one-year deal would earn him about $13.1 million for the upcoming season.

The Chiefs likely will need to make additional moves soon to free up salary cap space.

Mackenzie Swanson, a senior from Harlan High School, has been named the 2015 recipient of the E. Wayne Cooley Scholarship Award. Mackenzie was selected from 111 applicants from high schools across Iowa. She will be honored at halftime of the Class 2A state championship game Friday, March 6.

The scholarship, in the name of longtime Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Executive Secretary E. Wayne Cooley, is worth $15,000 over four years to assist the recipient as she attends the Iowa college or university of her choice. Mackenzie plans to attend the University of Iowa or Northern Iowa.

Miss Swanson was one of six finalists for the award. Other finalists included: Emily Knuth, Bondurant-Farrar; Meredith Cunningham, Knoxville; Evan Hundley, North Scott; Jaycie Owens, Norwalk and Alexandra Petersen, Ballard. The five runners-up all receive $1,000 scholarships.

Mackenzie is very active at Harlan. She ranks first in her class of 114 with a 4.00 GPA and is president of her senior class. She is a two-year member of the National Honor Society and is president of the Harlan chapter of Business Professionals of America while staying busy with drama and choir. Off the court, she has spearheaded several cancer fundraisers and volunteers at the Little Cyclones youth basketball and volleyball programs.
Mackenzie has enjoyed success in her athletic endeavors. She was an all-tournament team selection on the Cyclones back-to-back state volleyball teams and is a key reserve on Harlan’s state championship basketball squad.

With Jim Field.

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Treynor coach Gail Hartigan is the latest recipient of the prestigious Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union’s First Lady Award. Gail is just the 11th indiviudal to receive the award, which was first given in 1978. Hartigan will be honored Friday, March 6 at halftime of the Class 2A championship game.
The award is given “to a daughter of Iowa, — recognizing the million girls of the commonwealth who have carried the tradition and training of a sport into varied and important careers — and for singularly illustrious and most memorable accomplishments.”
The former Gail Ahrenholtz was a star multi-sport athlete for Manilla, playing under Hall of Fame Coach Larry Bullock on the 1970 basketball team that finished second in the state. She went on to John F. Kennedy College in Wahoo, Nebraska and was a standout basketball player on JFK teams that won two AAU national championships.
Hartigan began an illustrious coaching career in 1975, coaching at Lake City, Woodbine and Treynor. During that time, she amassed over 600 victories, ranking fourth among active coaches and 11th all-time. She guided Treynor to the first-ever Class 1A five-player state championship in 1994 and was named co-State Coach of the Year by the Des Moines Register that year. She has coached the Cardinals to 13 state tournament appearances.
Hartigan also coached the Treynor volleyball team to 12 state tournament appearances in a 15 year span, reaching the state championship match twice and the state semifinals five times while compiling 451 career victories. She continues to coach the Treynor girls track team, finishing as the state runner-up in 1997.
Hartigan has been honored by her peers as a Hall of Fame coach in both basketball and volleyball. She has also been the recipient of the IGHSAU Golden Plaque of Distinction and been named regional and state coach of the year by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association numerous times. She was inducted into the NHSACA Hall of Fame in 2012 and the B’Nai Brith Hall of Fame in 2007. Gail has been named IGCA Regional Coach of the Year 21 times and was named the organization’s Coach of the Year twice.
Hartigan has served terms on various IGHSAU committees, including a stint on the IGHSAU Board of Directors. She currently is a member of the IGHSAU Basketball and Track & Field Hall of Fame juries. Gail and husband Tom are the parents of two sons: Blair and Kyle and one daughter, Lea.

The Iowa Hawkeyes play their final road game of the regular season tomorrow (Tuesday) night with a visit to Indiana. The Hawkeyes improved to 10-6 in the Big Ten with Saturday’s overtime win at Penn State to clinch their first winning record in league play since 2007. No matter what happens on Tuesday night the Hawks will finish with a winning record on the road in the Big Ten.

(Radio Iowa)