The Riverside Bulldogs defeated the Bedford Bulldogs on Tuesday night by a score of 55-42 and are now within one game of the state tournament. Despite Bedford having the better record, Riverside showed early that they belonged in the game. An 11-5 run to start the game kickstarted Riverside as they held a 25-21 lead going into halftime. In the second half, the defense was phenomenal and held a Bedford offense that usually averages 65 points to just 42. They also had three players in double digits to secure the District 15 Championship.

In the first half, Riverside showed that they were there to win. They began the game going up 11-5, however Quentin Dalton of Bedford went on a personal 10-0 run to give Bedford a 15-11 lead. It seemed at that point that the numbers on paper were coming to life, but that really was the only momentum Bedford would have all game. Despite it being back and forth in the third period, that 15-11 lead was the largest all night for the Bedford Bulldogs. Peyton Amdor came in with the best numbers for Riverside, and even though he finished as the leading scorer, it still felt like Riverside was getting everyone involved. Their 25-21 lead at half was in most part due to their collective effort on both ends of the floor. Comparatively, Quentin Dalton of Bedford had scored 13 of their 21 points at half. Riverside was playing as a unit, and not just through one player.

In the third quarter, the game felt very back and forth. It wasn’t necessarily a game of runs, but neither team was willing to break. Riverside’s defense was still holding strong, and it felt like Bedford never got comfortable in their offense. They started to work the ball around a lot more but were still turning the ball over a lot. Those turnovers led to to a massive lead heading into the 4th period. The floodgates opened as the third period went on, and by the end it was a 39-27 lead in favor of Riverside heading into the final 8 minutes.

In the 4th, it never got close than 11 as Riverside controlled the rest of the ball game. Peyton Amdor, Brody Henderson and Cole Jeppesen all finished in double figures on the night. Amdor led all scorers with 22 points, collecting his second straight 20+ point game this postseason. It was a collective effort all around and most specifically on the defensive end. They held Bedford to 23 points below their average by forcing a ton of turnovers that led to fast break points. Riverside puts a lot of pressure on opposing point guards and that opens up opportunities for steals. All in all, Riverside was the better team from start to finish and have earned their spot to play for the State Tournament.

Riverside will face St. Edmond for a chance at State on Saturday, February 28th at the Drake University Knapp Center. Tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa sophomore Ava Heiden was named the Associated Press Player of the Week on Tuesday. She is the second Hawkeye to earn consensus player of the week this season.

Heiden led the Hawkeyes with three double-doubles and wins at Nebraska, at Purdue, and No. 6 Michigan this past week. She averaged 24.0 points per game, 11.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.6 blocks and was 33-of-44 from the field.

Against the Huskers, Heiden tied her career-high with 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. She also went 10-of-12 from the field and added 21 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and three steals against Purdue.

Against No. 6 Michigan on Sunday, Heiden led the Hawkeyes to their seventh ranked win of the season with her fourth 20-point double-double of her career and third of the week.

The Sherwood, Oregon, native is currently fourth nationally in field goal percentage (64) and is averaging 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Heiden and the Hawkeyes are set to host their regular season home finale on Thursday, Feb. 26 against Illinois at 8 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will air on BTN and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

Exira-EHK Spartans Girls Basketball have won their first two regional tournament games and will now face GTRA in the regional final. The Spartans have won a total of 21 games in a row, with every win coming by double digits. They defeated Griswold in the first round by a score of 57-33. In the second round, they rolled past CAM 55-31 in a game with three double digit scorers. Head Coach Tom Petersen talks on how his team has such an efficient offense and why they are able to move the ball so well.

According to Coach Petersen, the Spartans offense is started by their defense:

The Spartans’ offense gives most girls on the team the green light, but everyone should be looking for an open teammate:

Exira-EHK has yet to play GTRA this season, but that doesn’t change how Coach Petersen wants the girls to play:

The Exira-EHK Spartans Girls will play GTRA with a trip to state on the line on Wednesday, February 25th. Tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm.

Iowa’s metrics look good when it comes to an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament but there is still work to be done in the final two weeks of the regular season. The Hawkeyes host Ohio State Wednesday night and both teams are 9-7 in the Big Ten.

That’s Iowa coach Ben McCollum, who says he does not follow the daily updates on projected brackets. McCollum says he likes the late in the season pressure but it is much different at Iowa than it was at Drake, where winning the Missouri Valley Tournament was the only way to get in the field.

Wednesday night’s game will have a potential impact on seeding for the conference tournament but McCollum says it is important to not place too much emphasis on this game.

A concern for the Hawkeyes is Buckeye senior guard Bruce Thorton, who averages nearly 20 and-a-half points per game.

The Iowa State women will be out for revenge on Wednesday night when they close the home schedule against Oklahoma State. A injury riddled Cyclone team lost by 28-points in Stillwater back in mid-January and coach Bill Fennelly called it the low point of the season.

Being back to full strength should help ISU in the rematch.

The Cyclones are tied for seventh in the Big 12 race with Arizona State at 9-7 with two games remaining. Oklahoma State is one of three conference rivals the Cyclones play twice.

Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson is preparing to face a different looking Illinois State lineup when the teams collide in Cedar Falls Wednesday night. Redbird center and leading scorer Chase Walker has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury early in a February 12th win over Valparaiso. UNI and Illinois State are both 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

With Walker out, Illinois State has at times feature a five guard lineup.

Illinois State beat the Panthers in the first meeting 59-54 a little more than a month ago.

The Atlantic Trojans lost their postseason opener 91-42 to the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Warriors Monday night. From start to finish, the Warriors were the better team. They moved the ball well and were incredibly efficient on offense. Working inside out, they found success in the paint, which in turn opened up their three-point shooting. When they got an open look, they didn’t miss and hit 13 from downtown. Four Warriors finished the game with double-digit points in what was a balanced offensive effort. Unfortunately for the Trojans, their offense could not keep up as their season came to an end.

The opening frame belonged to the Warriors. Sergeant Bluff-Luton opened the game on a 15-2 run over the first four minutes. They were quick, precise, and took advantage of everything they were given. This included their perimeter shooting, as they hit four three-pointers in the opening frame. Body Van Kalsbeek hit a pair while Jacobi Cofield and Dylan Janzen each hit one. In addition to the ball movement, their work on the inside paid dividends, opening up the perimeter. They were excellent at driving the lane throughout the night and also rebounded very well. Meanwhile, the Trojans struggled to establish a consistent offensive rhythm. In addition to struggling with turnovers, the Warriors did a solid job of making life difficult for Atlantic in the paint, which in turn, did not help Atlantic’s outside shooting. The Trojans were held to just 7 points in the first quarter as Sergeant Bluff-Luton headed to the second up by 19.

The second frame was by far Atlantic’s best of the evening. Pushing back, they defended and rebounded much better.  Although they still were outscored, it was only by two as the Trojans held the Warriors to the lowest total in any of the first quarter. Offensively, Kale Jensen, James Brauer, and Hunter Nelson all chipped in three points, while Gavin and Hudson McLaren each added field goals. Altough the second quarter did not help the Trojans close the gap. It felt like a step in a positive direction.

Coming out of the half, it was apparent early that the third would look more like the first. Within the opening minute, the Warriors had drained another three, and by the halfway mark were on a 15-3 run. This was in large part due to Rylen Vander Schaaf. Held to 7 points in the first half, he hit a trio of long balls on his way to 13 third-quarter points and would finish as the game’s leading scorer with 22. Although Gavin Mclaren had his most productive quarter scoring six of his eight points, the Trojan offense could not keep pace with the extreme efficiency of Sergeant Bluff-Luton.

Although the scoring from the Warriors slowed down, the Trojans fate was decided. Jensen added five points in the quarter to tie the team lead in scoring, while Brauer and Benton McLaren both had strong efforts. Brauer was particularly adept and earning his way to foul line and went 5-for-6 while McLaren added five points included a three pointer. However, the outcome was already determined as the Trojan basketball season came to end.

The Trojans finish the season with a 6-16 record and will say goodbye to seven seniors including both of leading scorers in Kale Jensen and Gavin McLaren. However, throughout out the course of the year young talent such as Benton McLaren and Bauer both show lots of playing time which will serve as a foundation for years to come. Although the number in the win column might not have been what they wanted, the effort of his group was never questionable.

Substate 1 – 

Sioux City East – 89 vs Des Moines North – 44

Six City West – 92 vs Sioux City North – 67

Substate 2 – 

Mason City – 66 vs Waterloo West – 61

Ankeny Centennial – 56 vs Fort Dodge – 27

Substate 3 –

Iowa City Liberty – 72 vs Indiana – 67

Valley – 62 vs Iowa City West – 59

Substate 4 –

Iowa City High – 51 vs Marshalltown – 45

Davenport North – 73 vs Dubuque Hempstead – 56

Substate 5 – 

Pleasant Valley – 76 vs Cedar Rapids Washington – 70

Cedar Rapids Kennedy – 83 vs Cedar Rapids Johnson – 28

Substate 6 –

Davenport Central – 67 vs Clinton – 59

North Scott – 72 vs Davenport West – 52

Substate 7 – 

Des Moines East – 88 vs Waterloo East – 82

Dallas Center-Grimes – 91 vs Ottumwa – 48

Substate 8 –

Lewis Central – 59 vs Des Moines Lincoln – 39

Southeast Polk – 84 vs Council Bluffs Jefferson – 37

Substate 8 –

Sergeant Bluff-Luton-91 vs Atlantic-42

Storm Lake – 73 vs Denison-Schleswig – 30

Algona – 61 vs Humboldt – 54

Bishop Heelan – 83 vs Harlan – 48

Substate 7 –

Ballard – 79 vs Webster City – 40

Des Moines Christian – 65 vs Newton – 61

Oskaloosa – 73 vs Williamsburg – 46

Winterset – 58 vs Carlisle – 37

Substate 6 –

ADM – 97 vs Clarke Community – 26

Benton – 62 vs Clear Creek Amana – 59

Nevada – 76 vs Des Moines Hoover – 40

Bondurant-Farrar – 54 vs Mount Vernon – 48

Substate 5-

Pella – 81 vs Fairfield – 41

Washington – 53 vs Burlington – 50

Center Point-Urbana – 64 vs Grinnell – 35

Keokuk – 73 vs Fort Madison – 33

Substate 4 – 

Solon – 74 vs South Tama County – 43

Assumption – 61 vs Mount Pleasant – 42

Central Dewitt – 77 vs West Liberty – 34

Marlon 62 – Western Dubuque – 39

Substate 3 –

Wahlert Catholic – 83 vs Independence – 40

Decorah – 68 vs West Delaware – 48

Xavier – 64 vs Maquoketa – 40

Waverly-Shell Rock – 42 vs Vinton-Shellsburg – 40

Substate 2 – 

Clear Lake – 82 vs Charles City – 45

North Polk – 78 vs Hampton-Dumont-CAL – 50

Knoxville – 59 vs Creston – 35

Gilbert – 79 vs Boone – 49

Substate 1 – 

Carroll – 77 vs Perry – 43

Saydel – 65 vs Glenwood – 64

MOC-Floyd Valley – 63 vs Spencer – 41

Sioux Center – 63 vs Le Mars – 59

The Riverside Bulldogs Girls Basketball team find themselves one win from the state tournament as they take on West Lyon in the regional final. Riverside finished the regular season with an 18-3 record and won their first two regional tournament games by an average margin of victory of 20.5 points. Sydney Somers has led in scoring so far and nearly finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 9 rebounds against AHSTW. Coach Mark Jeppesen credits his team’s focus to their successful so far in the playoffs.

Riverside has not played West Lyon yet this season, but Coach Jeppesen is confident that the team will be prepared:

Coach Jeppesen doesn’t see a neutral court game as a disadvantage, despite the Bulldogs playing 8 of their last 9 games at home:

The pressure can mount the later a team gets in the postseason, but Riverside feels ready for the challenge:

The Riverside Bulldogs Girls take on the West Lyon Wildcats with a trip to state on the line on Wednesday, February 25th at Sioux City East High School. Tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm.