High School Girls’ Postseason Basketball

Class 2A tipped-off the third day of the state tournament with #2 Regina Catholic fending off #7 Maquoketa Valley to advance to the semifinals with a 53-47 final. Morgan Miller finished the contest with 17 points. 

The second game of the day saw #3 Hinton overcome a 12-point halftime deficit to down #6 Rock Valley 53-47. The Blackhawks tallied 11 steals to the Rockets’ one. Regina Catholic and Hinton will face off in the semifinals tomorrow, March 7th, at 11:45 am.

#5 Central Lyon will compete against #1 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the semifinals tomorrow at 10 am.

It was either feast or famine in Class 1A as #1 St. Albert downed #8 Dunkerton 42-31 after a strong first half. Avah Underwood tabbed a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds in the winning effort. 

#4 Bishop Garrigan smacked #5 Montezuma 69-31 as they look to avenge their loss against St. Albert last year in their semifinal matchup tomorrow at 1:30 pm. Four of the Golden Bears’ five starters finished in double figures.

On the bottom half of the bracket, #2 North Linn, the defending champions, won a brawl against #7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 33-29 as both offenses struggled. Molly Boge put up 15 points in the win. In a blowout, #3 Newell-Fonda skipped past Springville 60-32. Newell-Fonda and North Linn will meet in the semifinals tomorrow at 3:15 pm.

For Class 5A, #4 Ankeny Centennial and #1 Johnston will collide in the semifinals today at 10 am. On the bottom half of the bracket, #2 Dowling Catholic and #3 Waukee Northwest will be pinned against one another today in the semifinals.

In Class 3A, #1 Mt. Vernon will face off against #5 Estherville Lincoln Central today at 1:30 pm. #3 Williamsburg will compete against #2 Wahlert Catholic in the semifinals today at 3:15 pm. 

For Class 4A, #4 Norwalk will take on #8 Xavier in the semifinals tonight at 5 pm. On the bottom half of the bracket, #2 North Polk will run into #6 Dallas Center-Grimes for the third straight year tonight at 6:45 pm.

High School Boys’ Postseason Basketball

Joining North Linn in the Class 1A state tournament set to start on March 10th will be Boyden-Hull, St. Edmond, Marquette Catholic, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Madrid, Woodbine, and Remsen St. Mary’s.

Also punching their ticket to the Class 2A state tournament with Grand View Christian were Unity Christian, West Lyon, Jesup, Grundy Center, Union Community, Treynor, and Western Christian.

Knoxville is making their first trip to the state tournament since 2000 and joining them will be MOC-Floyd Valley, Storm Lake, Clear Lake, Xavier, Central DeWitt, ADM, and Ballard.

Attending state for Class 4A will be Waukee, Ames, Cedar Falls, Linn-Mar, Dubuque Senior, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Waukee Northwest, and Valley.

SEC All-Conference Basketball

The Southeast Conference (SEC) released the All-Conference basketball teams for both the boys and girls and two new players were crowned SEC Player of the Year.

On the girls’ side, Mylee Stiefel of Burlington earned SEC Player of the Year after leading her team with 18.5 points and 4.3 assists per game to their first SEC title. She was also a unanimous pick for All-SEC 1st Team. 

Also earning a spot on the 1st Team were Fort Madison’s junior duo of Dayonna Davis, unanimous, and Hadley Wolfe, Keokuk’s Camryn Atterberg and Kendra Boatman, unanimous, along with Washington’s unanimous choice of Adalyn Long.

Fairfield’s Faith Jones was named All-SEC 2nd Team, while Mt. Pleasant had Alexa Fuller and Kynlee White make the All-Conference Honorable Mentions.

On the boys’ side, Keokuk’s big man Jaxon Clark boasted the 7th best double-double numbers in the state with 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds per game on his way to being named SEC Player of the Year along with unanimous All-SEC 1st Team. 

The other unanimous selection went to Fort Madison’s Julian Dear as Nolan Guzman joined him on the All-Conference first team as the Bloodhounds claimed the conference title. Burlington’s Nehemiah Lewis, Fairfield’s Riley Perkins, and Logan McDole of Washington earned All-SEC 1st Team. 

Mt. Pleasant’s Noah Lange claimed All-SEC 2nd Team honors. Lange ranked 2nd in conference with 7.7 rebounds per game and 4th in blocks per game with 1.1. He was extremely efficient, nailing 59.1% of his shots as he averaged nearly 10 points per game.

For a full list of the All-Conference teams, follow the links:

Girls: All-SEC Honors

Boys: All-SEC Honors

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Last night’s episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook featured the trio of state qualifying wrestlers from WACO in freshman Ian Maize and seniors Gage Samo and Louden Huisenga. 

Samo, the first three-time podium finisher in WACO history, talked about what motivates him to keep coming back to the mat,

“Getting my hand raised is like the best feeling and then celebrating, like with your family and team after like a huge win, especially up at state when you get to see him after your one match of the day, you go and celebrate and give them all hugs and you go back and chill in the hotel room.”

Maize, the runner-up in the 106-pound weight class, is hoping to wrestle at the collegiate level as it is all about wrestling for him,

“I’ve always loved it. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite sports ever since I started. I’ve never really gotten burnt out. I always just wanted to keep grinding and getting better every single day.”

Lastly, Huisenga finished his senior season perfect and with the state title in the 190-pound weight class in a contentious showdown. He discussed what went through his mind during that championship match,

“Just grit and heart mainly, but just knowing in my head that I was going to win the whole match and just staying calm and staying collected throughout the whole match and just getting to a good set up at the end. I was down one with 30 seconds left and I wasn’t panicking at all. I knew I was going to take him down, just kind of waiting out the clock.”

If you missed last night’s episode, then follow this link: WACO Episode

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The men’s basketball team will compete against Marshalltown Community College tonight at 7 pm.

College Basketball

The #10 Iowa State men’s team will attempt to venture back into the win column on Saturday, March 8th, at 12:30 pm against Kansas State on the road. 

The Iowa men’s team looks to upset #8 Michigan State tonight at 7 pm at home for their senior night.

The Iowa women’s team slammed the door on Wisconsin immediately, running out to a 25 to 9 lead at the end of the first quarter before crushing the Badgers 81-54. Lucy Olsen scored 19 points in the win. The Hawkeyes will take on Michigan State tonight at 8 pm for the second round of the Big 10 tournament. 

The Iowa State women’s team will face off against Arizona State tonight at 5:30 pm in the second round of the Big 12 tournament. 

This Day in Sports History

1945 – George Nissen of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, receives a patent for the first modern trampoline.

1954 – First ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: NC State beats Wake Forest, 82-80 (OT).

1982 – NBA highest scoring game: San Antonio beat Milwaukee 171-166 (3 OT).

Mount Pleasant, IA- The Southeast Conference (SEC) held a contested race to see who would end up with the conference crown with as many as five teams holding a conceivable chance to win the title, yet the conference crown came down to the final SEC showdown of the season with Fort Madison exiting with the honor despite the Player of the Year residing on the opposing team.

SEC Player of the Year

It is hardly surprising that the player receiving notice from notable Big Ten clubs also earned the SEC Player of the Year, but junior Jaxon Clark of Keokuk did just that with a chance to repeat next season—more on him in the Keokuk section.

Fort Madison

From the cellar two years ago to conference champions this year, the Bloodhounds and Chiefs were expected to tango for the crown, but few probably expected it to come down to a final showdown at Keokuk, yet a 20-point fourth quarter gave Fort Madison the 44-40 victory and sole possession of the SEC.

That win exhibited what Fort Madison could be as a team with an offense that had shown its ability throughout the season, but their defense at times proved to be a liability. For one night the Bloodhounds put it all together as the finished the season with a 13-10 record and an 8-2 SEC record.

Senior Julian Dear was a unanimous choice for All-SEC 1^st Team, and he was joined by junior Nolan Guzman. Dear was the leader of that squad and a facilitator with a conference leading 7.1 assists per game to go along with his 2 steals per game, which ranked 2^nd in the SEC. Dear also supplied 12.5 points per game.

Guzman was a jack-of-all-trades for Fort Madison, putting up 14.6 points and dishing out 4.1 assists per game, 3^rd most in the SEC, along with nabbing 2.3 steals per game, the best mark in the SEC.

Seniors Kenden Bowie and Dayton Lamar earned spots on the All-SEC 2^nd Team. Bowie was a highlight reel waiting to happen with enough bounce to fly for lobs from Guzman or Dear, Bowie scored 12.7 points per night and grabbed 6.4 rebounds as well. Lamar was an enforcer, taking home 12.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks—which led the conference—per game.

All-Conference Honorable Mention went to sophomore Darius Foy.

Keokuk

There’s an old saying, “always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” and for Keokuk they have to feeling that way after finishing second in conference for the second consecutive season, despite sporting a 17-8 overall record, the Chiefs finished 7-3 in SEC play with losses to Washington, Burlington, and Fort Madison.

Something must be said though about this team’s ability to overcome a rough start as the Chiefs navigated an 0-3 start to the season and managed to battle an undefeated Knoxville team in substate championship, falling 63-55 as Jaxon Clark finished with a 31 point/13 rebound double-double.

The Chiefs had some excellent role players, but this team followed wherever Clark went. The junior boasted the 7^th best double-double numbers in the state of Iowa with 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds per game.

Off his past two seasons, he has scored over 1,000 points in his career as he currently sits at 1,078. Clark also blocked 2.1 shots per game, while shooting 66.7% from the field, led the conference, and 32% from three-point land.

On the All-SEC 2^nd Team were seniors Brenton Hoard and Tramell Smith. Hoard was the second leading scorer on the team with 11 points per game. The guard was vital in passing with 3.4 assists per game and on defense with 1.9 steals per game, which both ranked 4^th in the conference.

Smith added 9.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1 steal per game to help the Chiefs from the #3 spot.

Seniors Drake Anderson and Chevy Barnes were named All-Conference Honorable Mentions.

Washington

After a fast 3-0 start to conference, the Demons came crashing down back to earth going 2-5 over their next seven SEC games to finish the year 5-5 in conference play and 9-14 overall. One of those last wins came against Burlington, which gave them the tiebreaker for 3^rd place.

Logan McDole, a senior, was the lone All-SEC 1^st Team selection for Washington. McDole averaged 13.1 points per game and supplied 3.4 assists per game, which both ranked 5^th in the conference. He also grabbed 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

Rajan Roth took home All-Conference 2^nd Team honors. Roth scored eight points per game and nabbed five rebounds per game. He also ranked 3^rd in the conference in free throw percentage at 76.3%.

Junior Drew Conrad and sophomore Nic Stone earned All-SEC Honorable Mention.

Burlington

The Grayhounds bounced back from a three-win conference campaign from a year ago to finish 5-5 in the SEC. Unfortunately, for the only squad in the SEC located in Class 4A that was the only success as the Grayhounds finished the year with a 5-16 record.

Their lone bright spot and contender for Comeback Player of the Year if the award existed for the conference was All-SEC 1^st Team selection Nehemiah Lewis. After missing most of last year with an injury, Lewis picked right up where he left off and that was dominating the post.

Lewis averaged the 4^th best marks in the conference in points at 14.4 and rebounds at 7.1 per contest. If Lewis was having an off night, so was the rest of the team as the big man also contributed to 1.7 assists per game along with 1 block per night.

Michael Kantzavelos, a junior, earned All-SEC Honorable Mention.

Fairfield

What a climb for the Trojans after finishing last year with only one win on the season and an 0-10 mark in conference play, Fairfield collected a 6-16 record and a 4-6 mark in the Southeast Conference behind some solid play of their senior leadership.

One of the seniors receiving his due praise is All-SEC 1^st Team honoree Riley Perkins. The guard sat 2^nd in the conference in points per game and assists per game at 15.4 and 4.2, respectively. He also added the 3^rd most steals per game in the conference at 1.9. Perkins made his money from beyond the arc with 2.6 made threes per game, the best in the conference.

Senior Lucas Konczal and junior Eli Zillman took home All-SEC Honorable Mention.

Mount Pleasant

This year was all about gaining experience for a team that returned only one starter from the squad that won the program’s second consecutive conference title last season. Aptly, the team struggled in the clutch, finishing the season with a 2-20 record overall and 1-9 record in the SEC.

Their lone win in conference play showed the greatest potential for the squad as close game in the fourth quarter usually spelled doom for the squad, but not that night as the Panthers drained 11 threes as a team and outscored Washington 21 to 12 to secure a 62-53 win.

Despite having to negotiate with pain throughout the season, junior Noah Lange was able to earn All-SEC 2^nd Team honors. Lange ranked 2^nd in conference with 7.7 rebounds per game and 4^th in blocks per game with 1.1. He was extremely efficient, nailing 59.1% of his shots as he averaged nearly 10 points per game.

The dangerous junior duo from downtown in Aiden Humble and Ian Reid nabbed All-SEC Honorable Mentions. For another season, Reid led the conference in three-point percentage, hitting 43.3% of his shots from beyond the arc. Humble shot 36.1% from deep as he led the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game.

Academic All-Conference

Player Team

Michael Kantzavelos Burlington

Nehemiah Lewis Burlington

Tomas Rascon Burlington

Drew Myers Fairfield

Riley Perkins Fairfield

Luke Konczal Fairfield

Xavier Kessel Fairfield

Ryan Giberson Fairfield

Spencer McCready Fairfield

Brock Atwood Fairfield

Nolan Smith Fairfield

Jolie Crile (mgr) Fairfield

Julian Dear Fort Madison

Nolan Guzman Fort Madison

Chevy Barnes Keokuk

Drew Campbell Keokuk

Blake Chase Keokuk

Jaxon Clark Keokuk

Mason Claus Keokuk

Brenton Hoard Keokuk

Gracie Thompson (mgr) Keokuk

Kellen Kohorst Mount Pleasant

Noah Lange Mount Pleasant

Ian Reid Mount Pleasant

Jaymisen Rich Mount Pleasant

Colton Syfert Mount Pleasant

Carson Brown Washington

Drew Conrad Washington

Rajan Roth Washington

Carson Ryan Washington

Kael Williams Washington

Oliver Hobscheidt Washington

Conner Leyden Washington

Logan McDole Washington

Colby Mullens Washington

Luke Schiebel Washington