By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com
Girls’ Basketball: Winfield Starts Fast, Dominates Cal-Wheatland:
No. 9 Winfield-Mount Union 55, Calamus-Wheatland 31
The No. 9 ranked (1A) Winfield-Mount Union Lady Wolves started hot and never let off the gas, cruising to a 55-31 1A, Region 5 Quarterfinal victory in Winfield last night.
Bradie Buffington paced the Lady Wolves with 14 points — 11 of which came after halftime — headlining eight different players who scored for Winfield.
Winfield-Mount Union went on an extended 31-15 run over the games’ final 16 minutes to seize the victory.
Now, they’ll get a hotly anticipated matchup with No. 10 Burlington Notre Dame in Friday’s semifinal round.
That will be a game played at Winfield-Mount Union High School.
The Wolves held Cal-Wheatland to just 29% from the field.
Kyndal Townsley added nine, while Farrah Nelson chipped in with eight.
Friday’s game can be heard on FM 105.5.
John Kuhens and Kent Bennett will have the call, while Nathan Bloechl will be providing the latest from the State Wrestling Tournament.
No. 10 Notre Dame 72, WACO 30
Notre Dame leapt out to a 25-6 lead after one quarter as they rolled to a 72-30 win last night over WACO in a Class 1A, Region 5 Quarterfinal.
The Nikes lit up their home court floor drilling 11-of-23 three-point shots on their way to the victory.
Karli Artman paced the Nikes with 17 points, while Megan Harrell had 16.
The two of them combined to shoot 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Katy Stephens chipped in with 10.
Ellah Kissell led WACO with 13 points.
The Warriors close their season 8-13.
Again, Notre Dame now will take on No. 9 Winfield-Mount Union on Friday night, tip is set for 7:00 p.m. in Winfield.
Van Buren 46, Louisa-Muscatine 45
Isabel Manning hit a go-ahead jumper with just over :30 seconds remaining as Van Buren County rallied for a 46-45 win over Louisa-Muscatine last night.
Manning, who is the state’s top scorer regardless of class, poured in a game-high 30 points to go along with 13 rebounds.
There’s almost no doubt she’s the state’s most valuable player.
Louisa-Muscatine was led by Kylee Sanders’ 20 points.
Van Buren advances to the Class 2A semis, where they will take on Iowa City Regina in Keosauqua.
Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.
Iowa City Regina 54, Mediapolis 49
The Regals advanced to take on Van Buren after getting 16 points from Annie Gahan, defeating Mediapolis 54-49 last night.
Hallie Mohr led the way for the Bullettes with 13 points.
Haley Steffener and Liz Lane chipped in with nine.
Mediapolis closes their season with a record of 10-8.
- No. 3 West Branch 75, Danville 41
Girls’ Basketball: Mount Pleasant Set for Playoff Opener:
The Mount Pleasant girls’ basketball team is set for their playoff opener tonight when Curt Watson’s group heads to Keokuk for a Class 4A, Region 4 quarterfinal.
The Chiefs swept the season series over Mount Pleasant, earning a 38-37 road win on December 11th, while taking their most recent matchup 49-31 in a game played at Keokuk High School.
Keokuk is led by junior forward Abby Wolter, who averages 20.1 points per game and 7.4 rebounds while shooting over 41% from three point land.
Meanwhile, Mount Pleasant’s terrific sophomore tandem of Andrea Lopreato and Tristian Shull lead the Panthers.
Lopreato is averaging a double-double, pouring in just south of 17 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Shull is tops in the conference in assists and averages 10 points per night.
Tonight’s game will tip at 7:00 p.m. from Keokuk High School.
You can listen on FM 105.5 with the KILJ Tournament Trail Tip-Off Show beginning at 6:45 p.m.
John Kuhens and Kent Bennett will have the call.
Boys’ Basketball: Mount Pleasant Falls to Pella:
Pella shot 60% from the field and 44% from three-point land, as the Little Dutch improved to 19-2 with a 81-49 win over Mount Pleasant in a nonconference scrap at Panther Gymnasium last night.
Chase Williamson led the Panthers with 15 points, while Dewon Trent chipped in with nine.
Pella senior Grant Nelson finished with a game-high 25 points, hitting 8-of-11 shots from the field.
The Panthers close their regular season 12-10.
They’ll be off until Monday when they travel to Keokuk for a Class 3A, Substate 5 First Round matchup.
Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.
You can listen on FM 105.5 and kilj.com with the KILJ Tournament Trail Tipoff Show set for 6:45 p.m.
Other boys’ finals from last night:
- Central Lee 71, Van Buren County 64
- Central Lee advances to a Class 2A semifinal Thursday, when they take on West Burlington. Dylan Stuecker had 24 points to led the Hawks.
- Mediapolis 32, Louisa-Muscatine 21
- Cole Lipper had 11 for Mediapolis who earned a throwback 11 point win. The Bulldogs, now 7-13, will take on top-seeded Pekin in Packwood in Thursday’s semifinal.
Prep Wrestling: Team Duals Kick Off State Wrestling Today:
Team duals will get underway today at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, kicking off a busy week of State Wrestling.
Here’s a look at the team dual brackets:
1A:
No. 1 Don Bosco vs. No. 8 MFL, MarMac
No. 4 Lake Mills vs. No. 5 Woodbury Central
No. 2 Lisbon vs. No. 7 West Hancock
No. 3 Logan-Magnolia vs. No. 6 West Sioux
2A:
No. 1 West Delaware vs. No. 8 Sergeant Bluff-Luton
No. 4 Assumption vs. No. 5 Independence
No. 2 Crestwood vs. No. 7 Creston
No. 3 Osage vs. No. 6 Winterset
3A:
No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock vs. No. 8 Linn-Mar
No. 4 Fort Dodge vs. No. 5 North Scott
No. 2 Southeast Polk vs. No. 7 Norwalk
No. 3 Waukee vs. No. 6 Bettendorf
The individual tournament will begin tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
