High School Boys’ Postseason Basketball
For Class 1A Substate 4 District 8, Holy Trinity Catholic and #10 Burlington Notre Dame squared off for the third time this season having split the matchup in the regular season; expectantly, it was slugfest throughout as the two were tied at 12 at the end of the first quarter but the Nikes grabbed control in the second quarter and never relinquished, winning 55-46.
Notre Dame was able to limit the Crusader offense to their worst offensive output of the season, while the Nikes were also able to dominate the offensive boards to earn some second chance points. Shay Stephens facilitated the offense with 18 points in the winning effort. After graduating six seniors last year and returning only one starter, few expected Notre Dame to work their way back to this position except for head coach Dan Kies,
“I mean we’ve got some multi-sport guys that play, and they and they were around, they’ve been together, they played together. You know, a few juniors that are same class as Shay and it helps to have Shay, he is a great player. And they kind of just surround him, and he can create for them, and they play off of him. But they work at it defensively. They work at it on the boards. I think our rebounding is pretty solid throughout. You know, it helps to have a great leader who works as hard as he does. And the other guys just fall in line, you know it. Different nights, different guys step up and maybe one of them has an off night and a couple of sophomores step up and have a great night. You know, team victory and these guys, you know, they just worked at it as a group.”
Luke Hellige put up 18 points, while Adam Sobczak collected 10 points for the Crusaders. Hellige finished his career with 1,792 points and the program leader in points, rebounds, and three-pointers made, while Sobczak finished his career as the all-time leader in assists. Head coach John Hellige was disappointed in the outcome, but proud of his squad,
“Yeah, I mean, tough team you know, but at the end of the day, Holy Trinity had a great season. I mean we competed for the substate final last year, district final this year. You know it’s coming off some seasons that we’re a little bit lean and to go 19-6 and 19-5, just speaks volumes to the upper classmen. You know, your Adam Sobczak, your Luke Hellige that basically rewritten the record book at Holy Trinity and Southeast Iowa Basketball for assists and points and steals, and three pointers made. Koby Jones had a great senior year, but in general, you know, just proud of the hard work and effort of the team to get to this point and, you know, it always stinks to lose. But you know what I love more than anything as a coach is just the process, the practices, the summer stuff, the open gyms and the team events where, you know, an old guy like me gets to hang around these guys and feel young again and hopefully motivate them to, you know, continue the success.”
#10 Burlington Notre Dame will face off against #8 North Linn for the Substate Championship on Saturday, March 1st, at 7 pm at Iowa City High. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
For Class 2A Substate 5: District 9, #10 West Burlington needed overtime but the Falcons got the job done, beating Mid-Prairie 71-63. Mason Watkins finished the night with 29 points in the winning effort. The Falcons will compete against #5 Grand View Christian for the Substate Championship on Saturday at 7 pm at Oskaloosa high school.
For Class 3A Substate 6, Keokuk will travel to Mt. Vernon tomorrow, February 27th, at 7 pm.
High School Girls’ Postseason Basketball
In Class 2A Region 2, Danville will compete against #2 Regina Catholic tonight at 7 pm at Muscatine High School for the regional championship. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
High School Bowling
The state bowling tournament continued play yesterday with Madalyn Millard and Bethany Drury of Mt. Pleasant and Jaelynn Ketterer, Sophia Rule, Natalie Alberts, and Addison Spicer for Keokuk participating in the girls’ Class 2A individual championship. Through the first three games to decide the top-eight bracket, Millard bowled a 454 to finish in 30th place, while Drury grabbed 21st place with 534 total pins.
Keokuk had Spicer just miss out on the top eight by one pin to finish in 9th place. Advancing to the championship bracket was #7 Ketterer, looking for back-to-back titles, #5 Alberts, and #2 Rule.
Ketterer would defeat her own teammate Rule in the first round 258-194, then down Emily Whitehead of Clinton 225-198 to advance to the championship match against Lindy Dhuse of North Scott. Unfortunately, no repeat was in the works as Ketterer fell 216-176 to claim 2nd place. Alberts went on to beat Rule 188-174 for 5th place.
In the boys’ Class 2A individual tournament, Pray Lawson of Keokuk earned the #7 seed but fell in his first two matches, casting him to the 7th place match where he outdueled Damien Timm of Urbandale 259-201 to claim 7th place.
Southeastern Community College
The men’s basketball team will travel to Sauk Valley Community College tonight at 7 pm.
College Basketball
The #9 Iowa State men’s team started the game ice cold and could not regain enough momentum to avoid the upset by Oklahoma State, falling 74-68. Joshua Jefferson nabbed 17 points in the effort. The Cyclones will host #22 Arizona on Saturday, March 1st, at 8 pm.
The Iowa men’s team struggled against Illinois last night, losing 81-61. Brock Harding led the scoring with 16 points. The Hawkeyes will travel to Northwestern on Friday, February 28th, at 8 pm.
The Iowa women’s team will square off against Michigan tonight at 6 pm on the road.
The Iowa State women’s team rumbled past UCF last night 98-73. Audi Crooks and Addy Brown put together terrific games with Crooks going off for 29 points and Brown finishing the night with 20 points. The Cyclones will face off against #14 Kansas State on Sunday, March 2nd, at 3 pm at home.
This Day in Sports History
1967 – 9th Daytona 500: Mario Andretti wins his first and only NASCAR Grand National event; only time a driver born outside the US has ever won the Great American Race.
1981 – 84 penalties (406 mins) assessed for a brawl between the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars and the Boston Bruins. Boston won 5-1.
2017 – 59th Daytona 500: Kurt Busch wins after Kyle Larson runs out of gas on the last lap; Jeffrey Earnhardt makes NASCAR history as the first ever 4th generation driver to compete in the Daytona 500.
Keokuk High School hosted its second annual Career and Technical Education (CTE) Mini-Career Fair, giving third-grade students an interactive glimpse into future career opportunities.
Around 130 young students attended the event, where high school CTE students led workshops across seven career fields: Agriculture, Automotive, Building Trades, Business, Family & Consumer Science, Health Occupations, and Welding.
Each station featured hands-on activities to engage the students, helping them explore potential career paths as they progress through school.
The event aimed to spark early interest in technical and vocational education while showcasing opportunities available in CTE programs.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has launched a new mobile app designed to keep residents informed and connected with essential public safety updates. The app provides real-time alerts, emergency notifications, and important community resources—all at your fingertips.
Key Features:
Receive Safety Alerts – Stay updated on emergencies, weather warnings, and law enforcement notifications.
Inmate Search – Easily look up current inmates in Lee County facilities.
Access Important Resources – Find valuable information on public safety, community programs, and sheriff’s office services.
By downloading the app, residents can stay informed and contribute to a safer community. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office encourages everyone to download the app today and stay connected!
The Mount Pleasant Municipal Utilities held their monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon. This meeting had a formal agenda covering financial reports, legal updates, utility operations, and employee concerns.
Key points discussed:
The meeting involved board members, financial and legal representatives, and union representatives, with a mix of presentations, discussions, and some decisions requiring votes. The Meeting went to closed session to discuss legal matters and proprietary information, and adjourned.
Trilla Louise Gillespie, 90, of Mount Pleasant died Friday, February 21, 2025, at Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington.
Louise was born January 23, 1935, in Louisa County, the daughter of Ellsworth and Fredia (Kruger) Waterhouse. She graduated from Lockridge High School. On November 19, 1955, Louise was united in marriage to Francis Gillespie in Lockridge. Louise was an amazing, trusted, and dearly loved housekeeper for many families and businesses around Mount Pleasant, and has lived in Mount Pleasant since 2010. She enjoyed gardening, crocheting and raising chickens and ducks. Louise also enjoyed farm life, she loved to visit and reminisce. She loved feeding and watching the squirrels and collected cookbooks and salt and pepper shakers. She was an avid, amazing baker. She loved and adored all of her grandchildren, they were the light of her life.
Louise is survived by a son Richard Waterhouse of Fairfield; daughters, Susan Frank and Sandra Messenger of Mount Pleasant; grandchildren, David (Liz) Hinkle, Patrick Hinkle, Danial Gillespie, Michelle Gillespie, Justin Frank, Jason (Kizzy)Waterhouse, Athena Sears, Susan Cline; great grandchildren Kendyal Gillespie, Katelyn Pearson, Adaline Howell, Tanner Waterhouse, Avery Waterhouse, Courtney Waterhouse, Sydney, Brayden, Dallyn, and numerous great great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and eleven siblings.
Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 3, 2025, at Olson Powell Chapel & Crematory. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. until time of service on Monday. The Olson Powell Chapel & Crematory is caring for Louise and her family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com
Roll Call
Consent Agenda (Routine items approved in one motion unless requested otherwise)
Old Business
New Business
Public Forum (Open for citizen comments and concerns)
Adjournment
The West Burlington Fire Department is actively recruiting volunteer firefighters, encouraging community members to apply and serve their city.
The department’s latest campaign, titled “Is There a Fire in You?” emphasizes the importance of protecting and serving the community, while also reassuring applicants that no prior experience is necessary.
Interested individuals can obtain applications in person at West Burlington City Hall, through a direct message on the WBFD Facebook page, or by downloading the form from the city’s website at www.westburlingtoniowa.gov/jobs.
This initiative highlights the essential role of volunteer firefighters in safeguarding the community and invites those with a passion for service to step up and make a difference.
