High School Boys’ Postseason Basketball
Class 1A wrapped up their quarterfinal round yesterday and despite no surprises the games came down to the wire. After allowing #5 North Linn to take a lead in the fourth quarter, #4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck knocked out the defending champions behind phenomenal free throw shooting to win 61-55. Drew Eilers scored 21 points and went 11 of 12 from the free throw line in the win.
#1 Marquette Catholic was able to fend off #8 Remsen St. Mary’s third quarter surge to exit with the win 64-54. Spencer Roeder buried four three-pointers on his way to a game high 28 points. #4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck will take on #1 Marquette Catholic in the semifinals at 5:30 pm tonight.
#2 Madrid handled business and eliminated #7 Boyden-Hull 68-57 as Toryn Severson scored 30 points in the winning effort. Also joining them was #3 St. Edmond as they beat #6 Woodbine 52-49. Jakob Koopman tallied 18 points from off the bench. The semifinal contest will be played tonight at 7:15 pm.
In Class 4A, #4 Waukee Northwest whisked away #1 Cedar Falls 57-49 as four of the starters finished the night in double figures. Additionally, the defending champions #3 Valley snuck their way back in after taking down Linn-Mar 58-56 in an overtime thriller. Jayden McGregory nabbed 23 points in the winning effort. The championship showdown is scheduled for tomorrow, March 14th, at 1 pm.
For the top half of the bracket in Class 3A, Clear Lake and ADM will face off today at 10:30 am. #7 Xavier and #6 MOC-Floyd Valley will play today at 12:15 pm.
In Class 2A, #1 Western Christian will meet #4 Grand View Christian in the semifinals today at 2 pm. On the bottom half to the bracket, #2 West Lyon and #7 Unity Christian will compete today at 3:45 pm.
High School Track
The IATC Indoor Championships will take place today for the boys’ teams and tomorrow, March 14th, for the girls’ teams at Iowa State University.
High School Girls Basketball
The Iowa Girls Coaches Association announced the senior Larry Niemeyer All-Star Game rosters for the upcoming games this Saturday, March 15th, and Lily Coil of Columbus will be playing for the Gray Team in Class 2A.
Coil led the Wildcats with 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and added 3.8 steals per game on defense as Columbus claimed their program’s first Southeast Iowa Super Conference North title after finishing the season with an 18-5 record.
The Class 2A Gray team will play the Class 2A White team at 2:15 pm.
Southeast Iowa Playbook
Last night’s episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook featured a recap of postseason basketball for our local teams as two of the squads ended up a game away from attending the state tournament. If you missed last night’s episode, then you can follow this link: 2025 Postseason Basketball Recap
Southeastern Community College
The softball team will be hosting a spring break camp from March 17th through the 20th for grades 2-5 from 8 am to 10 am and grades 6-12 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at Fun City Turf at 614 S. Broadway Street. It is $120 per student or $100 for a sibling discount as the participants should bring their bats, gloves, and sliding gear.
There are limited spaces available and a registration form to fill out attached to this article. Instructions on where to mail the form are located on the registration.
Link: Softball Registration
College Basketball
The #12 Iowa State men’s team squashed Cincinnati in the second round of the Big 12 tournament 76-56. Joshua Jefferson led the scoring with 19 points as Dishon Jackson collected a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds. The Cyclones will face off against #17 BYU today at 11:30 am in the quarterfinal round.
The 15th-seeded Iowa men’s team picked up an upset victory against the 10th-seeded Ohio State 77-70 to open up the Big Ten tournament. Payton Sandfort dropped 17 points in the winning effort. The Hawkeyes will compete against Illinois tonight at 5:30 pm.
The Iowa State and Iowa women’s teams will have to wait until Sunday, March 16th, to see if they will get a spot in the National Championship bracket.
March Madness
The KILJ Bracket Challenge is back for the 2025 March Madness men’s bracket with the same rules as last year. A printable bracket will be posted to KILJ’s Facebook page after Selection Sunday on March 16th. The bracket must be filled out and turned in to sports@kilj.com or our station by the end of the day on March 19th.
For a full list of rules and prizes, follow this link: KILJ Bracket Challenge
This Day in Sports History
1915 – Brooklyn Robins manager Wilbert Robinson tried to catch a baseball dropped from an airplane, but the pilot, Ruth Law, substituted a grapefruit, which exploded on impact and left Robinson temporarily believing that he was seriously wounded.
1954 – Braves’ Bobby Thomson breaks his ankle, he is replaced by Hank Aaron.
2022 – After a 40-day retirement, Tom Brady announces he will play at least one more season in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.