Girls’ State Basketball
The Championship games are set for Classes 5A, 4A, and 3A and here’s the recap of everyone heading to the big dance.
Class 5A got the day rolling as #1 Johnston allowed only nine points in the second half to defeat #4 Waukee 74-33. Jenica Lewis led the way for the Dragons with 22 points and four steals.
#3 Dowling Catholic outscored #7 Cedar Falls 26 to 13 in the third quarter to seal their 59-48 win to advance to the championship game. Ellie Muller finished with a double-double as she cashed in for 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Johnston is looking to end the season undefeated as the Dragons take on Dowling Catholic tonight at 6 pm for the Class 5A championship.
Class 3A saw an upset in the bottom half of the bracket with #3 Solon clamping #2 Des Moines Christian to the tune of a 49-25 final. The Lions committed 26 turnovers and shot just 19.4% from the field.
#1 Estherville-Lincoln Central took down #4 Mt. Vernon 45-37 to advance to the championship game. Haylee Stokes scored a game high 15 points in the win. Solon and Estherville-Lincoln Central will compete for the Class 3A championship tonight.
Class 4A will see a battle between the unbeatens after both teams escaped close matchups last night. #1 Clear Creek-Amana was led by Ava Locklear’s 17 points and seven boards to exit with the 50-48 win over North Polk, despite Campbell Schulz and Abby Tuttle combining for 30 points.
#2 Waverly-Shell Rock had their own thriller with a 41-37 win over #3 Bishop Heelan. Katelyn Eggena took over the offense for the Go-Hawks with 16 points in the matchup. Clear Creek-Amana and Waverly-Shell Rock enter the Class 4A championship game with identical 25-0 records. They will face off tomorrow, March 2nd, at 2:30 pm.
Classes 1A and 2A will also determine their championship bouts today with Class 2A leading off the day. #1 Dike-New Hartford will take on #4 Sioux Central at 10 am. #2 Panorama will compete against #3 Westwood.
For Class 1A, #1 North Linn will tango with #4 St. Albert. #2 Newell-Fonda will face off against #3 Remsen St. Mary’s.
Boys’ State Basketball
#4 Winfield-Mt. Union will take on #5 Lynnville-Sully on Monday, March 4th, at 12:15 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at noon.
#4 West Burlington will face off against #5 Treynor on March 4th at 7:15 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7 pm.
College Basketball
The #6 Iowa women’s team will take on #2 Ohio State on Sunday, March 3rd, at home at noon.
The Iowa State women’s team will host Cincinnati tomorrow, March 2nd, at 1 pm.
The #8 Iowa State men’s team will face off against UCF tomorrow at 3 pm.
The Iowa men’s team will face off against Northwestern tomorrow at 4:30 pm.
Iowa University Women’s Wrestling
Clarissa Chun was named USA Today’s Women of the Year Honoree for the state of Iowa yesterday. Chun, a two-time Olympian, was named the first head coach for the women’s wrestling program in 2021 and led the team to a National Duals title in their inaugural season and currently has 15 student/athletes competing in the NCWWC National Championships. The award is given annually to 12 national honorees and one honoree per state.
This Day in Sports History
1910 – National Baseball Commission prohibits giving mementos to players on winning World Series teams; a decision later reversed, making way for traditional winners’ watches and rings.
1970 – Minnesota coach Charlie Burns becomes the final player/coach in NHL history, when he plays in the North Stars’ 8-0 win over Toronto Maple Leafs; remains in the role for the final month of the season.
1996 – Atlanta’s Lenny Wilkens becomes first coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 career victories when the Hawks beat Cleveland Cavaliers, 74-68.