Girls’ Regional Basketball
For Class 3A Region 6, #8 Mediapolis pulled off the upset over the weekend, defeating #6 PCM 49-42 behind a defense that forced 18 steals to qualify for the state tournament. Amelia Grier led the team with 17 points, while Josie Hutcheson tabbed 13 points and six steals. Mediapolis head coach Todd Borrison talked about how this moment has been more than a year in the making,
“This group’s been working so hard, just about every day, just been running, running, running. And to finally punch your ticket to the state tournament, it’s gotta be a special feeling. It’s a great feeling, you know, and you really feel for the kids. We do a lot of basketball year, you know, year-round, and these kids have committed, and they put in the time, and they’ve kept, you know, getting better and better, and they’ve trusted the process. And the ultimate reward is punching your ticket, and they got to experience that today. And we’ve been close a couple times, but this is always a big hurdle to get over. And they just fought, and fought, and fought tonight, and I was really, really proud of them.”
#7 Mediapolis will square off against #2 Maquoketa for the state quarterfinals on Monday, March 2nd, at 8:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 8:15 pm.
The other Class 3A matchups include #1 Mt. Vernon taking on #8 Cherokee Washington, #4 Wahlert Catholic will face off against #5 Williamsburg, and #3 Des Moines Christian will tangle with #6 Forest City.
For Class 4A Region 6, Keokuk was handled by Central DeWitt over the weekend, 88-43. Elizabeth Mason led the scoring with 15 points. The Chiefs finished the season with a 15-8 record.
High School Wrestling
The 2026 Iowa High School Athletic Association’s (IHSAA) state tournament is in the books and ten of our local wrestlers finished on top of the podium. Here’s the highlights.
In Class 1A for the 113-pound weight class, WACO’s #2 Ian Maize got his rematch against Don Bosco’s #1 Kaiden Belinsky but fell short of the title, finishing with the silver medal and a 38-4 record.
In the 157-pound weight class, #6 Cohen Wolford of Wapello nabbed 8th place with a 40-7 record for the year.
In Class 2A for the 120-pound weight class, Mt. Pleasant’s #14 Levi Evans started the day with a victory over #5 Rowan Berdnt by an 8-7 decision to advance to the 3rd place match. Evans would finish in 4th place with a 38-7 record for the season, while Berndt took 6th place.
The Nikes also had #2 Kohen Dietzenbach (113-pound weight class) take 5th place, #5 Colt Boyles (132-pound weight class) snatched 6th place, and Kael Cook (150-pound weight class) finished in 7th place.
Washington’s #7 Caden Greiner claimed 4th place in the 138-pound weight class.
Lastly, in the 175-pound weight class, #6 Dain Burkhart of Fairfield shook off the loss in the semifinals by picking up a pair of victories on Saturday, including a 9-8 overtime victory for the bronze medal and a 41-7 record.
Mediapolis’ #2 Kyler Crow finished his fourth trip to state by grabbing the silver medal, losing by major decision in the championship match. Crow claimed a 51-2 record for the season.
All-Conference Girls’ Basketball
The Southeast Iowa Super Conference released their All-Conference teams for the North and South Divisions yesterday.
For the North, Wapello’s Macey Kuntz and WACO’s Brenna Graber were placed on the 1st Team. Kuntz was one of four players in the conference to average a double-double, while Graber finished in the top five for assists and steals per game.
In the South Division, Grace Holsteen of Mediapolis and Kenna Sandoval of Central Lee took home Co-Conference Player of the Year, while Todd Borrison was named Coach of the Year, as the Bulldogs finished the season 24-0 and as state qualifiers.
Mediapolis’ starting five of Holsteen, Ellah Wagenbach, Josie Hutcheson, Amelia Grier, and Bryn Wright were named 1st Team. Joining them was Alaina Gourley of Danville, Kaylee Webb of West Burlington, and Sophia Jirak of Van Buren County.
For a full list of the All-Conference lists, follow this link: All-SEISC Teams
Boys’ District Basketball
In Class 3A Substate 4, #5 Mt. Pleasant will venture to #4 Davenport Assumption for their first round matchup tonight at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
Substate 5 houses the rest of our local teams with #8 Fairfield traveling to #1 Pella. #4 Burlington will host #5 Washington, while #3 Keokuk will take on #6 Fort Madison at home for a pair of Southeast Conference clashes.
In Class 1A Substate 5 District 9, it’s a rematch of last year’s district championship, Burlington Notre Dame will host Holy Trinity Catholic tomorrow, February 24th, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
In District 10, Hillcrest Academy will travel to Calamus-Wheatland tomorrow at 7 pm.
In Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, Central Lee will compete for the District Championship tomorrow at 7 pm against Regina Catholic.
In Substate 5 District 10, Mid-Prairie will head to Northeast for the District Championship at 7 pm tomorrow.
High School Bowling
Keokuk’s Chase Hemann will compete in the Class 2A individual state tournament on Wednesday, February 25th.
Southeastern Community College
The women’s basketball team lost to Northeast Community College, 70-61, over the weekend. Mia Stokes claimed a 14 point and 13 rebound double-double. The Blackhawks will take on Southwestern Community College on Wednesday, February 25th, at home at 5:30 pm.
The men’s basketball team dropped another close contest over the weekend, falling to Moberly Area Community College 71-68. Prophet Fields finished with 19 points in the effort. The Blackhawks will travel to Marshalltown Community College on Saturday, February 28th, at 7 pm for their regular season finale.
College Basketball
The Iowa State women’s team came up short against #12 TCU, losing 80-73. Audi Crooks finished the game with 22 points. The Cyclones will square off against Oklahoma State on Wednesday, February 25th, at 6:30 pm at home.
The #13 Iowa women’s team executed the upset against #6 Michigan yesterday, 62-44. Ava Heiden tabbed a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will host Illinois on Thursday, February 26th, at 8 pm.
The Iowa men’s team fell to #24 Wisconsin yesterday, 84-71. Bennett Stirtz collected 23 points in the effort. The Hawkeyes will contend with Ohio State at home on Wednesday at 8 pm.
The #6 Iowa State men’s team was unable to find the answers against #23 BYU over the weekend, losing 79-69. Tamin Lipsey cashed in for 19 points. The Cyclones will attempt to bounce back against Utah on the road tomorrow, February 24th, at 8 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1968 – Wilt Chamberlain becomes the first NBA player to score 25,000 points.
1969 – 11th Daytona 500: LeeRoy Yarbrough driving for Junior Johnson, catches Charlie Glotzbach on final lap to win; first Daytona 500 won on a last lap pass.
1985 – Five minutes into a game against rival Purdue, Indiana head coach Bobby Knight drew a technical foul then nonchalantly turned around, picked up a chair and hurled it past Boilermakers guard Steve Reid.