The Griswold Tigers Girls Basketball team is moving on to the 2nd round of the Regional Tournament! They pulled out a 41-37 victory over the Diagonal Maroons. It was an incredible back and forth game, with no team leading by more than 5 points all night. Amanda Houser was the team’s leading scorer with 17. The Tigers hit huge shots late in the fourth quarter to take the lead and pull out the 4 point win over Diagonal.

In the first half the game was incredibly even. It was tied after one quarter at 8 points a piece. Neither team was able to put together a great offensive attack until the second half. Atlantic was showing their full court press early and creating an aggressive form of defense early. They were forcing multiple turnovers, and after one half the Tigers led 20-18 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the game was as close as the first half, but each team went on a run of their own. Griswold scored a few points early on to take a 22-18 lead and looked like they had a lot of momentum, but Diagonal came storming back. The Maroons went on an 8-0 run to take a 26-22 lead. Griswold started to heat up again from beyond the arc and they took the lead late in the third quarter and went into the fourth up 31-29.

The 4th quarter was very much the same as the rest of the game. Diagonal did go on a quick run and led 37-33 with just a few minutes to go. Amanda Houser had 4 fouls but came in the game and immediately hit a three pointer to bring it within one. Then with 2 minutes to go, Carsyn Adams took the ball across half court and pull up for three and made it to take the lead. Zoey Amos made a layup to make it 41-37 and Griswold rode that score to the end. This victory was one that made Coach Aaron Houser very happy for his team.

Coach Houser thought the team sticking to their identity was the biggest factor in their victory:

It was the belief in each other that allowed the Tigers to be so successful:

Coach Houser was proud of how Amanda Houser shot the ball late in the game:

The Griswold Tigers will head to Extra-EHK for their second round regional matchup on Tuesday, February 17th at 7pm

The CAM Cougars opened the postseason with a dominant performance, defeating the Stanton Viqueens 53-20 in the 1A Region 7 First Thursday night in Anita. Although the * offense didn’t come right away, the game belonged to the Cougars from the halfway point of the first quarter. Altough Stanton did a good job of getting out of CAM’s press, it was the Cougars’ quickness from the press to the half-court defense that put a lot of pressure on Stanton.
Offensively Ada Hansen led the way again, scoring more than half of CAM’s points. Hansen’s performance, combined with the secondary scoring and solid team defense, pushed CAM on to the second round of the regional tournament.

Out of the gates, it was the Viqueens that struck first. Cooper Stephens nailed a three on the very first possession of the game to give Stanton a quick 3-o lead. However, CAM held them to only that. The Cougars did not give up a single point the rest of the quarter and only surrendered one field goal in the second frame. CAM’s press was effective, but Stanton did a good job of getting out of it. However, it was the Cougars’ transition from the press to their half-court that made the difference. The speed of the transition forced Stanton into quick shots, and when they did settle, the cougars made it extremely difficult for Stanton to drive the lane. Meanwhile, the offense didn’t come right away. However, the switch flipped at the halfway point of the first quarter. Over the final four minutes of the frame, CAM outscored Stanton 14-0 to end the opening quarter with a 16-point lead.

On offense, Ada Hansen was the star of the show. Scoring 27 points, she accounted for over half of CAM’s offense. Per usual, she was all over the floor and used her speed and aggressiveness to create opportunities for herself and her teammates. In addition to Hansen’s performance, seven other Cougars found their way onto the scoresheet. Ruthie Rich had a very strong effort ading 10 points, while Keely Kinney and Ailey Wahlert finished with four. At the end of the opening half, there was little doubt that the Cougars were in control.

Little changed in the second half as far as the outcome was concerned. Stanton was able to find some more offense as Piper French showcased her moves and added seven points to finish the game with nine. However, the Cougars never allowed a major momentum shift to occur as CAM secured its spot in the second round of the 1A Region 7 tournament. Head coach Joe Wollum was happy with the effectiveness of his defense.

He was also proud of Hansen’s performance and how she’s grown as a basketball player.

Secondary scoring is always an important aspect, and Wollum was happy to mutiple girls have a solid performance.

Up next for the Girls will be the Bedford Bulldogs, and Wollum has noticed their physicality.

That game is scheduled for Tuesday in Anita with tipoff set for 7 p.m.

The fifth ranked Iowa State men are looking to bounce back as they prepare for Saturday’s game at home against ninth ranked Kansas. The Cyclones are 8-3 in the Big 12 after a 62-55 loss at TCU and coach T.J. Otzelberger says the issues have been the same in all three losses.

Otzelberger says off days will be punished in the Big 12.

Kansas is 9-2 in the Big 12 and has won eight straight, dating back to an 84-63 win over the Cyclones in Lawrence a month ago.

Otzelberger says scoring at the rim will be a key against the Jayhawks. Not an easy task with Kansas center Flory Bidunga  and his 68 blocked shots.

Otzelberger is expecting Hilton Coliseum to provide a big home court advantage.

Junior forward Milan Momcilovic says the roles are reversed heading into Saturday’s game.

It is the first of two massive home games for the Cyclones who will host third ranked Houston in a Big Monday clash.

ISU freshman guard Jamarion Batemon says it will be a big opportunity for the Cyclones.

Batemon experienced his first Iowa State/ Kansas game in Hilton before even playing for the Cyclones.

The CAM Cougars Boys Basketball team are ready for the playoffs and will head to ACGC for the first round of the District Tournament. The Cougars are led by three scores in double digits which helps their offense in many different areas. They move the ball well too which allows so many players to get open shots, which Coach Ian Hunt prides his team in this area. To secure wins in the playoffs, Coach Hunt thinks that moving the ball as a team and getting everyone involved will be the biggest help.

A big point of emphasis will be on finding the best shot available each possession:

Coach Hunt on his team’s matchup with ACGC:

For the Cougars, the end of games is the biggest key to their success:

CAM will play ACGC at ACGC High School in the first round of the District Tournament at 7pm on Monday, February 16th.

The Iowa men’s basketball team went ice cold down the stretch at Maryland, Wednesday, and the Hawkeye’s six game winning streak came to an end. The Terrapins took the lead for good with an 8-0 second half run in a 77-70 victory. The Hawkeyes shot less than 43 percent for the game and made only three-of-16 from three point range after halftime. Bennett Stirtz led the Hawkeyes with 32 points.

Stirtz was 13-of-21 from the field and also had six assists.

That’s Iowa coach Ben McCollum. Tavion Banks was the only other Hawkeye in double figures with 13 points. Maryland shot better than 53 percent and diced up the Hawkeyes by driving the lane.

McCollum says the Hawkeyes need to do a better job of being ready at tip-off.

The Hawkeyes are 8-5 in the Big Ten and 18-6 overall.

The 15th ranked Iowa women snapped a three game losing skid, Wednesday. Chit Chat Wright had 21 points in a 65-56 win over 25th ranked Washington. Iowa is now 10-3 in the Big Ten.

That’s Iowa coach Jan Jensen who felt defense was the key to the win.

The Audubon Wheelers Boys Basketball team will open their district tournament bracket as the number 2 seed after a successful winning season. Their offense is as balanced as it comes, with four players averaging between 10 and 11 points per game. The Wheelers are anchored by senior Austin Christenson who leads Audubon in scoring, rebounding and steals. This offensive attack allows them to score over 60 points a game, and according to Coach Darran Miller, the Wheelers need to excel at multiple areas if they want to advance in the playoffs.

For Coach Miller, he has seen growth in those skills as the season progressed:

The Wheelers will benefit from getting the ball into hands of multiple scorers and not just depending on one player:

Coach Miller has had a specific message all season for his team:

The Audubon Wheelers will host the Lenox Tigers in the first round of the Boys 1A District Tournament on Monday, February 16th.

The Griswold Tigers Girls basketball team finished their season winning 5 of their last 7 games and are looking to continue this hot stretch into the regional tournament. Led by a balanced scoring attack from juniors Amanda Houser (12.5 ppg) and Carsyn Adams (9.6 ppg), the Tigers hope to spread the ball around well in the playoffs. While their offense is consistent, it is the defense of this team that leads to a lot of success. Averaging almost 16 steals and 5 blocks a game, they make any offense uncomfortable. Turning defense into offense is what Coach Aaron Houser is looking for in the playoffs.

It will take an entire team effort to execute the gameplan on defense:

Coach Houser is looking for the older members on the team to step up in a leadership role:

Now is the time of the season where Coach Houser wants his team to dig deep:

The Griswold Girls open up their regional tournament schedule with a first-round matchup against Diagonal on Thursday, February 12th at 7pm at Griswold High School.

Cuts with UNI coach Tanya Warren

Northern Iowa women’s coach Tanya Warren says the Panthers need more offense as they get ready to host Indiana State on Thursday night. UNI is 7-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference after losses to Bradley and Belmont.

The Panthers are ranked second in the Valley in defense but Warren says the offense needs to help.

Indiana State is 4-9 in the Valley and the Sycamores feature a four guard lineup.

The Atlantic Trojans boys dropped their second to last conference matchup of the season to the Harlan Cyclones 72-58 Tuesday night. The game was all about the Cyclones. Atlantic did not play particularly poor, but Harlan did everything they needed do to. The were extremely efficient offense, rebounded well, and limited Atlantic’s secondary scoring. Although the Trojans had a solid start to the third quarter on top of wonderful individual effort from Gavin McLaren, the Cyclones didn’t let the game get away from as they denied the Trojans as late season win.

Despite the final score, Harlan didn’t come roaring out of the gate. Gavin McLaren hit a pair of field goals and a pair of threes, and Atlantic was right in it. However, over the final four minutes of the first quarter, Harlan went on a 9-2 run to take a 12-point lead.

The Cyclones picked up where they left off to start to second quarter. In the first half of the second, they outscored Atlantic 12-5 to increase their lead to 15. Throughout much of the first half, Harlan was incredibly efficient on offense and rebounded extremely well, particularly on the offensive glass. There were numerous times in which the Cyclones earned second and third chance opportunities that either led to points or free throws. Meanwhile on the opposite end they were able to limit the Trojans’ production and took an 18-point lead into the half.

The third quarter was Atlantic’s best. Although they surrendered an early bucket, the intensity was different. They played faster and more physical which resulted in the Trojans chipping into the 20-point lead. three minutes into the fourth, Atlantic had trimmed the deficit to 11. However, after a well-timed timeout, the Cyclones settled in. Slowing the pace down slightly, they were able to reel-in the momentum the Trojans had built and take it back themselves. By the end of the third, they had reestablished a 20-point led.

The outcome was all but decided by the time the fourth quarter rolled around but there were still some bright spots. Gavin McLaren continued to be a force, as he was throughout the course of the night, scoring 18 points in the second half. Late in the fourth quarter Sawyer Terrell started to connect from downtown as well, hitting two of his three second half threes in the final minutes of regulation. However, a 20-point deficit was too much to overcome as the Cyclones handed Atlantic their 14th loss of the season.

Head Coach Dalton Franken was proud of Gavin Mclaren and his game leading 28-point effort but thought they could’ve gotten the ball down in the paint more in the early going.

Kobe Klaassen was a big factor in Harlan building their first half lead.

The Trojans have two regular season games remaining on the schedule, the first of which will be senior night against Lenox.

Friday’s night game in Atlantic will tipoff at 7:30 pm.