High School Basketball
Winfield-Mt. Union took on Burlington Notre Dame in a postseason doubleheader last night and both games were exactly what fans were hoping for. In the girls’ game, Winfield-Mt. Union rushed out to a 7-0 lead, but Notre Dame was able to hang around and keep things close, but that early run set the tone for the Wolves, as Coach Mendy McCreight talked about her team’s effort for the night. Melina Oepping had a monster game accounting for 20 points in the winning effort for the Wolves. Lauren Krieger knocked down five three-pointers on the night to keep the Nikes close. Coach McCreight has confidence in her team entering the Regional Championship.
In game two, Burlington Notre Dame was the team with the hot start as the Nikes led the Wolves 14-8 after the first quarter. However, Winfield-Mt. Union took over the rest of the game, especially in the third quarter when Cam Buffington scored 18 of his 27 points and outscored the Nikes alone in the quarter. Carter Loyd aided the winning effort by making five of his six free throws in the second half. Coach Klay Edwards talked about how tough the contest was for his team. The girls’ team will take on North Mahaska on February 22nd and the boys’ team will take on New London February 21st.
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will start their postseason action February 20th at home against Fort Madison at 7 pm.
The WACO boys’ team was eliminated from postseason play by New London after the comeback attempt was foiled and the Tigers held on to win 61-60. The Warriors were led by Colton Leichty’s 17 points on the night. The Tigers were led by the two-headed attack of Blaise Porter’s 23 points and Kade Benjamin’s 20 points.
The Danville girls’ team was tied with Mediapolis at halftime, but the Bulldogs were able to do just enough and move on through the tournament with a 52-46 win. Liz Lane led the way with 16 points and 13 rebounds on the game. Danville ended the year with a 10-13 record.
High School Wrestling
Championship Saturday will have multiple local wrestlers eyeing a chance at a state title: Dom Lopez of New London, Josh Glendening of Mediapolis, Carter West, CJ Walrath, and Isaiah Fenton of Burlington Notre Dame, KILJ will be bringing live results throughout the day.
High School Bowling
The state championship will start February 20th and run through the 22nd.
Iowa Wesleyan Athletics
The women’s basketball team’s next game will be today, February 18th, when they square off with Trinity Christian College at 1 pm on the road.
The 23rd-ranked men’s team will enter the Continental Athletic Conference tournament as 2nd overall seed on February 24th with a 24-2 record.
The men’s wrestling team’s next competition for the Tigers will be the 2023 Heart of America Conference Championship today.
The women’s wrestling team will start the 2023 Heart of America Conference Championship on February 25th.
The Tigers Indoor Track and Field teams will be competing in the North Star Athletic Association conference meet tomorrow, February 19th.
The Tiger baseball team lost both games of their doubleheader today against Mid America Christian. In game one, the Tigers scored the first two runs of the day thanks to Julian Figueroa and Holvin Catala each knocking in a run. However, the Evangels would score the next 6 runs in the contest and win 6-2. In game two, The Tigers fell 4-3 as the Evangels shut out the Tigers in the last four innings. Julian Figueroa collected two more RBIs in the contest and Philip Guerrero knocked in a run as well. The Tigers will take on Mid America Christian in a doubleheader today with game one at 12 pm.
The Tiger’s softball season will begin today against Park University at 11 am for the Avila Tournament.
This Day in Sports History
1944 – 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall signs a contract to play baseball with the Cincinnati Reds just one day after playing in a high school basketball game; debuts later that year.
1967 – Softball pitcher Eddie Feigner strikes out 6 straight major leaguers.
1981 – 20-year-old Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky becomes first player in NHL history to score 5 career hat-tricks before age 21; scores 5 goals and 2 assists in 9-2 Oilers’ home win against St. Louis.