High School Basketball
The Mt. Pleasant boys team extended their win streak to 10 games after defeating Regina Catholic 69-58 last night. The Regals had a strong start to the game leading 14-11 after the first quarter, but Aaiden Ashton exploded for 13 points in the second quarter to give the Panthers the lead 32-24 heading into halftime. Payton Hagans took over in the second half finishing the night with the team lead in points with 29 with Ashton cashing in with 23 points. Coach Rawson talked about the stellar play of his two guards. The boys’ team will be back in action tomorrow at home against Burlington with the conference championship hanging in the balance.
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team defeated Fairfield at home last night 49-25 after a slow start to the contest. The Panthers will travel to play Burlington on Friday at 7:30 pm.
Holy Trinity Catholic crashed Central Lee’s senior night by winning both contests. The girls won a nail-biter 60-58, while the boys dominated winning 60-34. That will conclude the regular season for Holy Trinity Catholic. The Central Lee girls’ team will be competing in a conference shootout Friday, February 3th and the boys’ will have their own shootout on Saturday, February 4th.
Burlington Notre Dame swept the night against New London with the girls’ team winning 74-32. Anna Engberg finished with 17 points for the Nikes and Sophie Malott and Mylee Miller tied for the team lead in points with 8. The boys’ team handled business with the Nikes coming out on top 79-57. That will conclude the girls’ regular season and the boys’ team will face off against Davis County tomorrow at 7 pm.
The Danville Bears fell in both games tonight against West Burlington. The West Burlington girls’ team cruised to an 81-58 final thanks to Falcons scoring 50 points in the second and third quarter combined. The Danville boys’ team suffered a similar fate as West Burlington improved to 18-0 on the season winning 53-38. The girls’ team will travel to compete in their conference shootout game Friday and the boys’ will have theirs on Saturday.
The WACO girls’ team defeated Lone Tree 60-45 as Grace Coble and Ellah Kissell each scored 19 points in the contest. The boys’ team crushed Lone Tree to remain undefeated on the season as Hunter Hughes put up 15 points in the 66-28 win. WACO will travel to take on Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow with the girls going at 6 pm followed by the boys.
The Winfield-Mt. Union Wolves celebrated their senior night in style as both teams came out with dominating wins. The girls’ team moved to 19-0 on the season after defeating Highland 61-28. The boys’ team was led by Jake Edwards’s and Cam Buffington’s 16 point performance. The boys’ team will take on Cedar Valley Christian tomorrow at home at 7 pm.
High School Wrestling
The inaugural girls’ sanctioned wrestling State Tournament will take place tomorrow and Friday. Stay tuned to KILJ tomorrow morning for interviews with Ella McNamee, Rylee Rice, Bralyyn Wagler, and Grace Fort.
The next competition for the Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will be at the Class 2A District 9 postseason meet. To make it to state, wrestlers in Class 1A or 2A must finish in first or second-place and third-place finishers in Class 3A District Tournaments will also qualify.
Burlington Notre Dame competed in the Regional Duals yesterday in the attempt to qualify for state. The Nikes defeated Knoxville in the first round 39-38 to tangle with Williamsburg. Unfortunately, the Nikes came up one point short of a state appearance losing to Williamsburg 41-40. Carter West, Kaell Cook, C.J. DAvis, Kaiden Dietzenbach, Blake Wilson, Isaiah Fenton, and CJ Walrath all went 2-0 on the night.
High School Bowling
Mt. Pleasant will travel to face off against West Burlington tomorrow.
Iowa Wesleyan Athletics
The women’s basketball team will be back in action February 3rd at the Crowley’s Ridge Classic. The Tigers are currently 5-0 in conference play.
The 23rd-ranked men’s team improved their win streak to 20 games and 21-1 on the season and they will be tested against #20 Florida College in a CAC Classic on February 3rd.
The men’s wrestling team fell to William Penn University in a close dual 31-22. Quinten Aney, Lane Scorpil, and Isaac Boucher all pinned their opponents, while Carson Coleman and Brendan Ferenchik each won by decision. The Tigers will be in another dual tomorrow against Graceland University on the road.
The women’s wrestling team will be competing in the Grand View Open on February 4th.
The Tigers next indoor meet will be today, February 1st, at the Grand View Field Meet, which will have only throwers and jumpers compete.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams earned USTFCCA honors for their cumulative GPAs with Lily Garnsey being named an All-Academic athlete for having a cumulative GPA over 3.25 and being a national qualifier.
This Day in Sports History
1950 – Green Bay Packers founder, player and coach Curly Lambeau resigns after 31 seasons and 6 NFL titles to his credit.
1967 – The 10-team American Basketball Association (ABA) with George Mikan as Commissioner is formed and lasts 9 years; its three-point shot remains a feature of the game.
1995 – Utah Jazz guard John Stockton passes Magic Johnson’s all-time NBA assists mark of 9,221, in a 129-98 win over the Denver Nuggets at the Delta Centre in Salt Lake City.