State News

West holds off City High - Class 4A roundup

DES MOINES -- Iowa City West found its long-range shooting touch just in time to turn back its biggest rival.

The second-ranked Women of Troy hit six 3-pointers during a key five-minute stretch in the second half and held on to beat No. 7 Iowa City High 55-52 in a first-round Class 4A game at Wells Fargo Arena.

West defeated City High by margins of eight and 15 points during the regular season, but this one wasn't decided until West's Ally Disterhoft blocked City High's final 3-point shot just before the buzzer.

Tatum Klein led West with 18 points, including three huge 3-pointers to help her team get the lead for good. Mckenzie Piper added 12 points for West, Brianna Sturtz scored 10 and Disterhoft finished with seven points, six rebounds and five blocks. (Boxscore)

City High got 12 points from Kiera Washpun and 11 each from Mickey Hansche and Haley Lorenzen. Sierra Chambers contributed eight points, nine rebounds and four blocks for the Little Hawks, while Washpun made four steals.

West struggled from the perimeter against City High's zone defense until Klein started connecting late in the third quarter. She buried a 3 from the left corner to erase City High's 34-33 lead, knocked down a 3 from the right corner to break a 36-36 tie, then hit another 3 at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 44-36, which turned out to be enough of a cushion for the Women of Troy to move on.

Disterhoft, Sturtz and Piper later hit 3-pointers to keep the Women of Troy ahead. Six of their last seven field goals came from behind the arc.

Lorenzen hit a turnaround shot to pull City High to 53-51, and her free throw with 17.6 seconds left cut the lead to 53-52. But Sturtz sank both ends of a 1-and-1 after rebounding Klein's missed free throw, meaning City High had to try a 3-pointer. Disterhoft leaped to knock it away and the Women of Troy had their victory.

West, the state runner-up last year, will take a 23-1 record into a semifinal game against Waukee at noon on Friday. City High finished 17-7.

WAUKEE 49, MASON CITY 47 -- Amy Nestingen's only basket of the second half was the biggest of the game for Waukee.

Nestingen drove down the right side of the lane and banked in a layup just before the buzzer to give sixth-ranked Waukee a victory over No. 3 Mason City.

Waukee fell behind by nine points at halftime, rallied to take a four-point lead, then fell behind by five before making its final charge. The Warriors improved to 20-5 and will play No. 2 Iowa City West in a semifinal game at noon on Friday. Mason City, which beat Waukee 63-53 during the regular season, finished 21-3.

Mason City tied the score at 47 on Jadda Buckley's two free throws with 39.2 seconds left and got the ball back when Waukee lost it out of bounds. But the Mohawks turned it over with 11.1 seconds remaining, just enough time for the Warriors to bring the ball up the floor and get it to Nestingen for the game-winner.

Her bucket capped a hot-shooting second half for the Warriors, who were 13-of-14 in the half, or 93 percent.

Britney Boland led Waukee with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Megan Shryack scored 10 points, Megan Goodson eight and Nestingen seven. Nestingen made her only two field goal attempts and led the Warriors with seven rebounds. (Boxscore)

Buckley, a junior guard who has committed to Iowa State, led Mason City with 21 points and five assists and Cortni Rush scored 16.

Waukee used runs of 6-0 and 12-2 to rally from a 27-18 halftime deficit and take a 40-36 lead early in the fourth quarter. Mason City came right back with a 9-0 burst that Rush capped with a steal and layup, giving the Mohawks a 45-40 lead with 5:52 left. But Waukee held Mason City without a field goal the rest of the way and pulled out the victory in its fifth straight state tournament appearance.

SOUTHEAST POLK 56, AMES 37 -- Top-ranked Southeast Polk is on its way to the Class 4A semifinals and a showdown with the only team that beat the Rams this season.

Southeast Polk held unranked Ames to just two field goals in the first half and cruised to a victory to complete the opening round of the 2012 tournament. It was the second victory over Ames this season for the Rams, who'll take a 24-1 record against fourth-ranked Ankeny in a semifinal game at 1:45 p.m. Friday.

Ankeny beat Southeast Polk 33-29 at midseason, a loss the Rams avenged with a 55-31 victory in the regular-season finale.

Southeast Polk had good balance against Ames, getting 12 points from Whitney VanWyk, 11 from Megan Bianchi and 10 from Caitlin Ingle. Ingle also notched five assists with some alert passing, while VanWyk grabbed six rebounds and knocked down a couple of 3-pointers. (Boxscore)

Jenna Power's 12 points led Ames, which made the tournament for the fifth time in seven years. Shaya Kellogg added eight points and nine rebounds and Cheyenne Pritchard scored seven for the Little Cyclones, who finished 16-8 in a season that included victories over Ankeny and another state tournament qualifier, Waukee.

Southeast Polk hit Ames with a 17-0 run in the first half to open a 23-4 lead and was in control the rest of the way. The Rams led 25-11 at halftime and increased their lead to 20 when VanWyk hit a 3-pointer from the left corner midway through the third quarter.

Ames fought back with a 12-2 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Power to cut the lead to 37-27 at the start of the fourth quarter. But the Rams scored seven of the next eight points to stretch the lead to 44-28 and end the Little Cyclones' comeback hopes.

Top-ranked Benton bows out - Class 3A roundup

DES MOINES -- New lineup, same result for Ballard.

But not so for top-ranked Benton Community.

Ballard caught Benton on a night the Bobcats were without their best player and advanced to the Class 3A semifinals for the seventh straight year with a 50-34 first-round victory Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

The unranked Bombers have an all-new starting lineup this season and also a new coach in Kelly Anderson, a former assistant at the school. They'll take a 19-6 record into a semifinal matchup with defending state champion Davenport Assumption at 7:45 p.m. Thursday.

Assumption beat Ballard in last year's semifinals.

Benton had to play without leading scorer Madison Weekly, one of the state's top juniors. Weekly broke her left wrist in a regional final victory over Keokuk and wore her uniform as she sat on the bench and cheered her teammates.

The Bobcats couldn't muster the firepower they needed without their star and lost for the first time in 25 games.

Ballard had excellent balance, with Rachel Sage scoring 12 points, Katie Ahrenholtz 10 and Makenzie Ihle nine. Kelsey Brecht led Benton with 14 points and Sara Petrzelka scored seven. (Boxscore)

Ballard scored the game's first six points and led 10-2 after one quarter. Benton never got closer than three points the rest of the way.

Ihle's 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer put the Bombers up 21-14, and they started the third quarter with a 10-3 run to stretch their lead to 31-17. Benton got to within 10 points midway through the fourth quarter before Ballard made 10 of 12 free throws to wrap it up.

SIOUX CITY HEELAN 77, DUBUQUE WAHLERT 60 -- Sioux City Bishop Heelan is a step closer to another appearance in the Class 3A state championship game.

MaKayla Augustine led another big offensive outing with 22 points and third-ranked Bishop Heelan pulled away in the second half to beat No. 6 Dubuque Wahlert.

Madison Yohe added 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Crusaders, who are the highest-scoring team in their class and almost reached their season scoring average of 79.3 points. Alex Fuller chipped in with 11 points. (Boxscore)

Bishop Heelan improved to 24-1 and will play in a semifinal game at 6 p.m. Thursday. The Crusaders won the state championship in 2008 and 2010 and finished second in 2009.

Wahlert made a nice run over the second half of the season after losing University of Iowa recruit Claire Till, who had knee surgery in January. Tessa Leytom led the Golden Eagles with 21 points, making 10 of 18 shots. Logan Lynch scored 13 points, while Beth Walker had 10 points and 16 rebounds for Wahlert, which finished 20-5.

Wahlert started the game on a roll, hitting 10 of 16 first-quarter shots in building a 22-12 lead. The lead grew to 24-12 before Bishop Heelan charged back and tied the score at 34 going into halftime.

Yohe opened the second half with a basket and Bishop Heelan never trailed again. The Crusaders then broke it open a couple of minutes later.

Yohe converted a three-point play on a length-of-the-court drive to start an 8-0 run that made it 48-39. The lead was never below eight points after that.

Augustine's fifth 3-pointer of the game stretched the lead to 63-49 and the Crusaders wrapped it up at the free throw line, making 12 of 16 in the final 3:38.

MOC-FLOYD VALLEY 50, BONDURANT-FARRAR 37 -- MOC-Floyd Valley will get to enjoy its state tournament experience a little longer this year.

The second-ranked Lady Dutch capitalized on their height advantage to beat No. 9 Bondurant-Farrar to advance to the Class 3A semifinals after losing in the first round last year.

Caitlyn Van Es led MOC-Floyd Valley with 13 points, while sophomore Alexis Conaway scored 12 and pulled down nine rebounds as the unbeaten Lady Dutch won for the 26th time. They'll play third-ranked Sioux City Bishop Heelan at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Bondurant-Farrar got 16 points from Bobbie Burrows in its first state tournament appearance since 1999. Jackie Young added nine points, seven rebounds and four steals for the Blue Jays, who finished 22-3. (Boxscore)

MOC-Floyd Valley used a 10-2 run to go up 12-5 in the first quarter and led the rest of the way. Burrows scored seven straight points to draw Bondurant-Farrar to 15-12, but her team got no closer.

The Lady Dutch led 22-17 at halftime, then answered in the second half every time Bondurant-Farrar threatened to make a move. When Burrows drove across the lane to hit a running hook shot, the Blue Jays trailed only 42-35 with 2:54 left.

But MOC-Floyd Valley scored eight of the game's final 10 points to put it away.

MOC-Floyd Valley shot 51.4 percent and held a 30-20 rebounding advantage. Emily McDonald had nine points and seven rebounds for the Lady Dutch, while Lauren McDonald scored four points to go with eight rebounds.

DAVENPORT ASSUMPTION 54, GLENWOOD 41 -- Defending champion Davenport Assumption is moving ahead.

Danielle Moore led a big run during the middle of the game that carried fourth-ranked Assumption to a victory over Glenwood. Assumption improved to 23-2 under first-year coach Mallory Youngblut and will play in a semifinal game at 7:45 p.m. Thursday.

Moore shot 4-for-7 from 3-point range and led all scorers with 23 points. Kate Fennelly added 12 points for the Knights, while Jasmine Binion and Grace Fennelly scored six each. (Boxscore)

Morgan Lucy led Glenwood with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in her final high school game. Lucy is Glenwood's career scoring leader with more than 1,000 points and will play at Southwest Baptist next season.

Grace Newman added eight points for the Rams, who reached the state tournament for the first time since making the six-player field in 1979.

Glenwood held Assumption at bay early and led 12-8 going into the second quarter. The Knights then got rolling and hit the Rams with a 27-2 run that stretched into the second half and produced a 35-14 lead.

Moore keyed that burst with three 3-pointers and an old-fashioned three-point play. Kate Fennelly knocked down a pair of 3-pointers during the run and Mary Kate Fennelly hit one. Assumption finished 8-for-17 from long range.

Glenwood never gave up and responded with 12 straight points to cut the lead to 37-28 on Newman's 3-pointer late in the third quarter. But Assumption scored seven of the first nine points in the fourth quarter to open a 46-30 lead, then sank free throws the rest of the way to finish it off.

Youngblut is a former Assumption star who took over after last season's coach, Hall of Fame player Jennifer Goetz, left to become the head coach at Pleasant Valley.

Unbeatens tumble - Class 2A roundup

DES MOINES -- Pella Christian continued a recent surge with its biggest victory yet.

The 15th-ranked Eagles made one key play after another and upset No. 2 Britt West Hancock 66-63 in a first-round Class 2A game Tuesday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Guard Jasmin Schelhaas scored 17 points to lead Pella Christian, including six straight free throws in the fourth quarter to help her team finally gain control in the back-and-forth game. Schelhaas finished 10 of 13 at the line and also grabbed six rebounds. (Boxscore)

Cali Vink hit three 3-pointers and added 14 points for Pella Christian, while Christina Nolte had nine points and three steals for the Eagles, who have won 14 of their last 15. They'll take a 22-3 record into a semifinal game against IKM-Manning at 1:45 p.m. Thursday.

West Hancock lost for the first time in 26 games. Anna Mallen led with 24 points and five steals, while Kellie Schmit had 18 points and eight rebounds. Sarah Mallen and Kaylee Weiland each had seven assists for West Hancock, which trailed most of the game before tying the score at 61 when Anna Mallen converted a three-point play with 1:43 left.

Schelhaas then was fouled on a drive to the basket and sank both free throws to break the tie. Nolte picked off a pass into the post to set up Vink's free throw, which made it 64-61, and Schelhaas drew another foul after rebounding a West Hancock miss. She again sank both shots, making it 66-61 with 21.2 seconds remaining.

Schelhaas made two free throws early in the fourth quarter after Anna Mallen's 3-pointer cut the lead to 59-58 with under three minutes to play.

West Hancock did a good job getting the ball inside early, yet never led by more than two points because Pella Christian was able to answer. West Hancock pulled to a 55-54 lead on two straight layups by Schmit midway through the fourth quarter, but Pella Christian came back with five straight points and never trailed again.

IKM-MANNING 71, BELLEVUE 55 -- IKM-Manning's Tember Schechinger filled the stat sheet in leading her team to the Class 2A semifinals.

Schechinger just missed a triple-double, scoring 23 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and handing out nine assists as the third-ranked Wolverines beat No. 14 Bellevue. IKM-Manning trailed 31-29 at halftime, but the Wolverines began the second half with an 11-2 run, then turned things over to Schechinger and let her take charge the rest of the way.

A Northwest Missouri State recruit, Schechinger scored 14 of her team's 18 points as IKM-Manning built an insurmountable lead. She also finished with five steals and two blocks and committed just one turnover. (Boxscore)

Kaylee Blake added 12 points and freshman Morgan Muhlbauer scored 10 for IKM-Manning, which will take a 24-2 record against No. 15 Pella Christian in a semifinal game at 1:45 p.m. Thursday.

Schechinger was simply too much for Bellevue in the second half and the Comets lost for the first time in 26 games. Kelsey Ernst led Bellevue with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Ali Reeg scored 14 points to go with seven assists. Carly Rubel led Bellevue with 12 rebounds and scored four points.

IKM-Manning had a lot of success with the 5-foot-10 Schechinger posting up on the block. All six field goals she scored during her key second-half stretch came on layups, turnaround shots or putbacks.

Her follow-up basket gave the Wolverines a 61-47 lead with 5:33 left, but she went to the bench 10 seconds later after picking up her fourth foul. She was out for a little more than a minute, during which time Bellevue cut the lead to 61-53.

When Schechinger returned, she immediately pulled down a rebound, then came up with a steal. Moments later, she sank two free throws to restore the lead to 10 points and start a 7-0 run that put it out of reach.

Pauley saves OA-BCIG - 2A roundup

DES MOINES -- Jessie Pauley helped save her top-ranked team from what would have been a stunning upset Monday night.

Pauley scored 17 of her 28 points in the second half and OA-BCIG rallied to beat unranked West Marshall 48-41 in a first-round Class 2A game at Wells Fargo Arena.

OA-BCIG raced to an early 10-point lead, fell behind by nine, then clawed back to remain unbeaten. The Falcons will take a 26-0 record into a semifinal game at noon Thursday against fifth-ranked Western Christian.

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