Girls’ State Basketball
The 2024 Iowa Girls’ Basketball State Tournament is in the books and here’s a recap of all five championship games.
Class 5A saw undefeated #1 Johnston taking down #3 Dowling Catholic 48-36. Jenica Lewis was the Iowa Pork Producers Top Producer of the Game with 20 points for the Dragons. Ali Tanke cashed in for 15 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double.
Ava Zediker splashed three three-pointers for 25 points for Dowling Catholic.
For Class 4A, it was the battle of the unbeatens as #1 Clear Creek-Amana and #2 Waverly-Shell Rock entered the contest with identical 25-0 records. Unfortunately for the Go-Hawks, they never stood a chance as the Clippers sailed to a 43-25 victory.
Averie Lower of Clear Creek-Amana took home Iowa Pork Producers Top Producer of the Game after finishing with 17 points in the game. But it was Ava Locklear that finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and nabbing 19 rebounds in the win.
The Class 3A championship had #3 Solon leading 37 to 35 entering the fourth quarter against #1 Estherville-Lincoln Central and thanks to the Top Producer of the game Callie Levin’s 27 points the Spartans would run away with the win 54-47.
Aiding in the effort was Hailey Miller as she ended the game with 14 points and Anna Quillin’s 16 rebounds. Estherville-Lincoln Central’s Haylee Stokes gave it all she had with 30 points as she nailed all 10 of her free throws.
Fans got to witness a nail-biter between #1 Dike-New Hartford and #2 Panorama for the Class 2A championship. The Wolverines and Panthers entered the fourth quarter knotted up at 37. Panorama even seemed poised to end Dike-New Hartford’s three-year run as they led 42 to 39 in the fourth quarter.
However, the Wolverines became just the second school in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union era to win four consecutive championships. Payton Petersen was the Top Producer with 27 points and 14 rebounds to round out her senior year. Jaidyn Sellers was the top scorer for the Panthers with 20 points.
North Linn shot over 70% from the field in the first half and rode that momentum to defeat Newell-Fonda 67-51 for the Class 1A championship. Kamryn Kurt was the Top Producer with 23 points as Macy Boge added 17 points to the effort.
Boys’ State Basketball
#4 Winfield-Mt. Union will take on #5 Lynnville-Sully today at 12:15 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at noon. Head coach Klay Edwards talked about his team’s strength heading into the matchup.
#4 West Burlington will face off against #5 Treynor tonight at 7:15 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7 pm.
Class 1A will finish all of their quarterfinal matchups today and Class 2A will complete two quarterfinal contests.
College Basketball
The #6 Iowa women’s team went on an 18-3 run in the first quarter and never looked back as the Hawkeyes defeated #2 Ohio State 93-83. Caitlin Clark has no one left to chase as her 35 points passed the NCAA’s Division I all-time leading scorer Pete Maravich. The Hawkeyes head into the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, March 8th, with a 26-4 record.
The Iowa State women’s team outscored Cincinnati 28 to 9 in the third quarter to secure the conference win 76-60. Audi Crooks collected a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win. The Cyclones head into the Big 12 Tournament on March 7th with an 18-10 record.
The #8 Iowa State men’s team’s defense propelled the Cyclones to a 60-52 victory over UCF over the weekend. Tre King had a game high 16 points in the winning effort. The Cyclones will suit up for a home matchup against BYU on Wednesday, March 6th, at 8 pm.
The Iowa men’s team picked up a road conference win against Northwestern over the weekend 87-80. Josh Dix cashed in for 24 points as Tony Perkins notched a double-double with 10 points and 14 assists. The Hawkeyes will celebrate senior night on March 10th against Illinois at 6 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1927 – Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in MLB history when he signs a 3-year, $70,000 per season contract with the New York Yankees.
1970 – Jacksonville is the first college basketball team to average 100-plus points per game.
1993 – First ESPY Awards: Michael Jordan and Monica Seles win.