Boys’ District Basketball
In Class 1A Substate 5, #4 Burlington Notre Dame will be heading back to the state tournament for the first time in 15 years after defeating Calamus-Wheatland 63-53 over the weekend for the substate championship. Shay Stephens and Eli Oleson each collected 18 points in the winning effort. Nikes head coach Dan Kies knows this is a big moment for the Burlington community,
“Yeah, fantastic for me, and I was watching at that time, and it’s just been a battle. I mean, we’ve been close to getting there a couple times, and just to get over the hump is great, and I think it’ll be great for the school, great for the community to see another team from our area to get back there.”
The Nikes grabbed the #4 seed and will face off against #5 Bellevue on Tuesday, March 10th, with tip-off at 3:45 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 3:30 pm.
In Class 3A, #3 Keokuk will travel to #1 Pella for the Substate 5 championship tonight at 7 pm.
Girls’ Postseason Basketball
For the Class 3A state tournament, #7 Mediapolis will square off against #2 Maquoketa for the state quarterfinals tonight at 8:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 8:15 pm. Head coach Todd Borrison talked about what makes his team so special,
“Well, they really love each other, and they take care of each other, and they play together as a team. And I said before, our strength, our superpower is our balance. And that balance starts, to be a team of truly balanced kids, you gotta really like each other, and you gotta know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And they really get the game, and they really, ultimately, they don’t care who gets any credit. They just like to win, and that makes it a fun group, and a group that you like to see be successful.”
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.
The Class 5A quarterfinals will start off the day at 10 am.
All-Southeast Iowa Super Conference Teams
The Southeast Iowa Super Conference released their All-Conference teams for the North and South divisions yesterday and Burlington Notre Dame swept the South’s Player and Coach of the Year honors.
Shay Stephens took home Player of the Year for the South Division after leading the conference in points per game, assists per game, and steals per game. Nikes head coach Dan Kies was named Coach of the Year.
Joining Stephens on the First Team for the South Division was his teammate L.J. Harris. Mediapolis put three on the First Team in Max Griffin, Will Luttenegger, and William Worrall. West Burlington had Silas Lotzow and Ayden Figuereo named to the First Team. Lastly, Will Hayes of Central Lee and Holy Trinity Catholic’s Layne Rung nabbed a spot.
For the North Division, Pekin’s Cole Millikin was named Player of the Year and Hillcrest Academy’s Stephen Bender claimed Coach of the Year.
Finding a spot on the First Team for the North Division was Cody Milks of Winfield-Mt. Union, WACO’s Holden Hughes, Ellis Hills-Carrier of Columbus, and Wapello’s Justyn Faulkner.
Middle School Wrestling
The 2026 AAU Kids State Wrestling Championships is in the books and Mt. Pleasant’s Eric Steele nabbed second play in the 125-pound weight class in the 3rd-4th grade division after going 4-1 for the weekend.
Southeastern Community College
The men’s basketball team walloped Marshalltown Community College over the weekend, 69-33. The Blackhawks will get a rematch against the Tigers in the first round of the Region 11 tournament on Wednesday, March 4th, at home at 7 pm.
The baseball team wrapped up the weekend with a 3-0 record, sneaking past College of DuPage, 7-6, and Southwest Mississippi Community College, 9-7, before dismantling the Bears again 12-1. The Blackhawks will compete on Friday, March 6th, with another match against Southwest Mississippi Community College.
The softball team finished the Midwest Classic with a 3-1 record after stomping Neosho County Community College, 12-0, and Allen County Community College, 10-4. SCC will take on Black Hawk College on Friday in a doubleheader.
College Basketball
The Iowa State women’s team routed Kansas State yesterday, 93-79, to secure the 7th seed and a first-round bye for the Big 12 tournament. Audi Crooks was unstoppable, logging a 41 point/13 rebound double-double in the win. The Cyclones will get back to action on Thursday, March 5th, at 5:30 pm.
The #9 Iowa women’s team snatched the #2-seed and a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament after clobbering Wisconsin, 81-52. Ava Heiden clinched a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will get ready for action on Friday, March 6th, at 5:30 pm.
The Iowa men’s team fell to Penn State over the weekend in heartbreaking fashion, 71-69, as the Nittany Lions nailed two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining in the contest. The Hawkeyes will square off against #3 Michigan on Thursday at 7 pm.
The #4 Iowa State men’s team suffered their first loss at home this season after losing to #16 Texas Tech over the weekend, 82-73. Joshua Jefferson collected 22 points in the effort. The Cyclones will look to bounce back tonight on the road against #2 Arizona with tip-off at 8 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call.
This Day in Sports History
1962 – Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points, most ever by an NBA player in a single game, in Warriors’ 169-147 win over NY Knicks in Hershey; 36-of-63 from field, 28-of-32 from free-throw line.
1995 – Joe Mullen becomes the second NHL player to appear in 300 NHL games with 3 different teams when he plays for the Penguins in a 6-3 loss in Buffalo; Pittsburgh 379, St. Louis 301, Calgary 345.
2000 – The St. Louis Blues become just the 2nd team in NHL history to win 10 straight games on the road, with a 5-2 victory in Atlanta; they tied the mark set by Buffalo 1983-84.