• Nick Rohlman • 2/28/23 10:42 PM Pinned

    Tuesday's Gazette photo galleries

    » Decorah vs. Ballard

    » Clear Creek Amana vs. North Polk

    » Cedar Rapids Xavier vs. Sioux City Heelan

    » Iowa City Regina vs. Sibley-Ocheyedan

  • Jeff Linder • 2/28/23 10:40 PM Pinned

    Deceivingly speedy Sibley-Ocheyedan sprints past Regina

    The Regina Regals were prepared for Sibley-Ocheyedan’s size.

    But not its speed.

    “We knew they were going to be good, but film is deceiving,” Regina’s Grace Gaarde said. “We didn’t expect them to be that fast.”

    » Keep reading

  • Jeff Linder • 2/28/23 10:07 PM Pinned

    Heelan ends Xavier's reign, and does it emphatically

    From a Sioux City Heelan perspective, this wasn’t just another game.

    And it sure wasn’t just another opponent.

    “After last year, we wanted this really bad,” Heelan’s Jada Newberg said. “We wanted them really bad.”

    The Crusaders wanted the Xavier Saints. And, yeah, they got ‘em.

    » Keep reading

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 9:45 PM Pinned

    Final: Sibley-Ocheyedan 60, Iowa City Regina 39

    No. 4 Sibley-Ocheyedan (22-3) never trailed in the final game of the day, building a 28-12 halftime lead and cruising past No. 5 Iowa City Regina (21-5) in a Class 2A quarterfinal.

    Madison Brouwer led the way with 28-point, 10-rebound double-double.

    The Generals will take on top-ranked Dike-New Hartford in the semifinals at 10 a.m. Friday.

    » Box score

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 9:29 PM Pinned

    End 3rd: Sibley-Ocheyedan 49, Iowa City Regina 22

    Madison Brouwer is up to 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting and seven rebounds for the Generals.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 9:01 PM Pinned

    Half: Sibley-Ocheyedan 28, Iowa City Regina 12

    The Generals outscored Regina 18-5 in the second quarter. Madison Brouwer had 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting, four rebounds and two assists in the first half.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 8:46 PM Pinned

    End 1st: Sibley-Ocheyedan 10, Iowa City Regina 7

    Regina missed its first 10 shots and was scoreless for the first 5:48 as the Generals took an early 8-0 lead. But the Regals stayed in it and got a deep 3-pointer from Morgan Miller at the buzzer.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 7:56 PM Pinned

    Final: Dike-New Hartford 68, Aplington-Parkersburg 34

    Top-ranked, defending champion Dike-New Hartford finished a three-game season sweep of its North Iowa Cedar League rival in the first Class 2A quarterfinal. No. 15 Aplington-Parkersburg finished 20-5.

    All five starters had at least 12 points, with Payton Petersen leading the way with 15 and 15 rebounds.

    Dike-New Hartford will play in the semifinals at 10 a.m. Friday.

    » Box score

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 7:19 PM Pinned

    Half: Dike-New Hartford 43, Aplington-Parkersburg 11

    D-NH scored the first 19 points of the second quarter to take a 30-point lead. Payton Petersen scored 11 points in the first half, Ellary Knock 10.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 7:00 PM Pinned

    End 1st: Dike-New Hartford 18, Aplington-Parkersburg 7

    D-NH started the game on a 16-2 run and held A-P without a field goal for the first 5 1/2 minutes.

  • Jeff Linder • 2/28/23 6:58 PM Pinned

    ‘Perfect storm’ goes against Clear Creek Amana

    Ava Locklear called it a “perfect storm, but just the opposite.”

    Murphy’s Law? Yeah, that applies, too.

    » Keep reading

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 6:18 PM Pinned

    Class 4A semifinals set

    Thursday's schedule:

    No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes (21-3) vs. No. 4 Ballard (19-3), 5 p.m.

    No. 2 North Polk (22-2) vs. No. 3 Sioux City Heelan (23-2), 6:45 p.m.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 6:14 PM Pinned

    Final: Sioux City Heelan 63, Cedar Rapids Xavier 37

    In a rematch of last year's Class 4A state title game, No. 3 Heelan (23-2) dethroned sixth-ranked, defending champion Xavier (16-8).

    Heelan forced 25 turnovers. Lauryn Peck scored 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting, Brooklyn Stanley tallied 14 points, five rebounds and four assists and Jada Newburg scored 14 first-half points with four 3-pointers. Libby Fandel led Xavier with 16 points.

    The Crusaders will take on No. 2 North Polk in the semifinals Thursday at 6:45 p.m.

    » Box score

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 5:56 PM Pinned

    End 3rd: Sioux City Heelan 53, Cedar Rapids Xavier 28

    After ending the first half on a 16-0 run, Heelan scored the first 12 points of the second half to turn this into a rout.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 5:31 PM Pinned

    Half: Sioux City Heelan 35, Cedar Rapids Xavier 20

    Heelan flipped a back-and-forth game in the final four minutes of the half, heading into the break on a 16-0 run. Jada Newberg made 4 of 5 3-point attempts and scored 14 points in the half.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 5:17 PM Pinned

    End 1st: Sioux City Heelan 13, Cedar Rapids Xavier 11

    Xavier shot 50 percent in the first quarter but turned it over seven times.

  • Jeff Linder • 2/28/23 5:16 PM Pinned

    Defensive switch ignites Ballard in first-round win over Decorah

    You would think that Decorah would feast on a zone.

    “Usually we do,” Coach Shannon Quandahl said. “Today, we just didn’t see it.”

    » Keep reading

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 4:19 PM Pinned

    Final: North Polk 61, Clear Creek Amana 30

    MaKayla Boatman and Liza Schaffer both scored 21 points and No. 2 North Polk (22-2) secured a wire-to-wire win over No. 7 Clear Creek Amana (18-5) in a Class 4A quarterfinal.

    The Comets will play in the semifinals Thursday at 6:45 p.m.

    » Box score

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 4:08 PM Pinned

    End 3rd: North Polk 53, Clear Creek Amana 23

    The continuous clock is in play.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 3:46 PM Pinned

    Half: North Polk 42, Clear Creek Amana 16

    North Polk led 40-9 at one point. MaKayla Boatman has 18 points, 16 coming in the first quarter. Liz Schaffer has 14. The Comets shot 60 percent (18-30) and scored 22 points off 12 CCA turnovers.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 3:31 PM Pinned

    End 1st: North Polk 26, Clear Creek Amana 8

    Welcome to the MaKayla Boatman show. The North Polk senior scored 16 points as the Comets started the game on a 24-4 run. Liza Schaffer added eight.

  • Jeff Linder • 2/28/23 3:01 PM Pinned

    Teammate’s leukemia diagnosis adds another layer of motivation for Benton Community

    The Benton Bobcats are blue and gold.

    And this week, a major splash of orange.

    Orange bracelets in the stands. Orange shoestrings and hair ribbons on the court.

    Tatum Schroeder is two hours away. But only a wave away.

    » Keep reading

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 2:48 PM Pinned

    Final: Ballard 58, Decorah 44

    No. 4 Ballard (19-3) pulled away from a 23-23 halftime tie to beat No. 5 Decorah (21-3) in a Class 4A quarterfinal.

    Ballard's Reagan Lowe scored 17 points off the bench. Decorah's Yazmeen Whitsitt matched her. Alliyah Thompson tallied 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Bombers.

    Ballard will face No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes in the semifinals Thursday at 5 p.m.

    » Box score

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 2:25 PM Pinned

    End 3rd: Ballard 40, Decorah 28

    It was all Ballard in the third, as the Bombers took their first lead and outscored the Vikings 17-5. Alliyah Thompson converted a 3-point play with 3.8 seconds left to make it a double-digit advantage entering the fourth.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 2:00 PM Pinned

    Half: Decorah 23, Ballard 23

    The Bombers settled in after a slow start. Lily Hillebrand is a big factor, with 12 points on 4-for-6 3-point shooting.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 1:52 PM Pinned

    Catch up: Tuesday's girls' state basketball quarterfinals

    • Madison Brouwer posted a 28-point, 10-rebound double-double in the nightcap, a Class 2A quarterfinal in which No. 4 Sibley-Ocheyedan never trailed. The Generals beat No. 5 Iowa City Regina 60-39.

    • Top-ranked, defending champion Dike-New Hartford led 43-11 at halftime and finished a three-game season sweep of No. 15 Aplington-Parkersburg in the first Class 2A quarterfinal, 68-34.

    • No. 3 Sioux City Heelan ended the first half on a 16-0 run, then scored the first 12 points of the second half to dethrone No. 6 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 63-37, in a rematch of last year's Class 4A title game.

    • MaKayla Boatman scored 16 first-quarter points and No. 2 North Polk took a 40-9 second-quarter lead on its way to a 61-30 win over No. 7 Clear Creek Amana in a Class 4A quarterfinal.

    • No. 5 Decorah took a 9-0 lead against No. 4 Ballard, but the Bombers tied it at 23-23 at halftime and pulled away for a 58-44 Class 4A quarterfinal win.

    • In the first Class 4A quarterfinal, top-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes earned its third straight state semifinal appearance with a 57-39 win over Glenwood.

    • No. 7 Sioux Center hit third-ranked West Marshall with a 22-7 first quarter and kept up that pace with a 79-53 win in a Class 3A quarterfinal.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 1:47 PM Pinned

    End 1st: Decorah 17, Ballard 10

    Decorah started the game on a 9-0 run.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 1:29 PM Pinned

    Final: Dallas Center-Grimes 57, Glenwood 39

    Top-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes (21-3) reached the state semifinals for the third straight year. Glenwood finished 16-9.

    Finley Fitzgerald led the Mustangs with 17 points. Josie Lampe had 12 points and eight boards. 

    DCG will play in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Thursday.

    » Box score

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 12:46 PM Pinned

    End 3rd: Dallas Center-Grimes 48, Glenwood 28

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 12:16 PM Pinned

    Half: Dallas Center-Grimes 27, Glenwood 17

    Finley Fitzgerald scored nine points in the first half for the Mustangs, who only had three turnovers.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 12:00 PM Pinned

    End 1st: Dallas Center-Grimes 12, Glenwood 10

    Dallas Center-Grimes scored the game's first eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, but Glenwood didn't let the Mustangs run away with it.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 11:14 AM Pinned

    Class 3A semifinals set

    Thursday's schedule:

    No. 10 Vinton-Shellsburg (18-7) vs. No. 4 Benton Community (22-3), 1:30 p.m.

    No. 2 Solon (23-2) vs. No. 7 Sioux Center (19-5), 3:15 p.m.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 11:13 AM Pinned

    Final: Sioux Center 79, West Marshall 53

    No. 7 Sioux Center (19-5) led from start to finish, becoming the second lower-seeded team to win in the Class 3A quarterfinals following Vinton-Shellsburg's upset win Monday night. Third-ranked West Marshall finished 23-2.

    Ten Warriors scored, led by Cori Harald's 14 points on 4-for-6 3-point shooting. Willow Bleeker had 11, Reagan Jansen 10. Keatan Pfantz led West Marshall with 18 points and Katy Reyerson had 19, nine rebounds and seven assists.

    The Warriors will play No. 2 Solon in the semifinals at 3:15 p.m. Thursday.

    » Box score

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 10:56 AM Pinned

    End 3rd: Sioux Center 58, West Marshall 37

    West Marshall started to heat up in the third, but Sioux Center hasn't slowed down much. The Warriors are 8-for-20 from 3-point range.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 10:29 AM Pinned

    Half: Sioux Center 43, West Marshall 21

    All nine Sioux Center players who played in the first half scored, led by Willow Bleeker's nine points despite 3-for-11 shooting. The Warriors grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and only had four turnovers. West Marshall shot 27.6 percent from the field.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 10:15 AM Pinned

    End 1st: Sioux Center 22, West Marshall 7

    West Marshall called two timeouts as Sioux Center dominated the first quarter. The Warriors started with a 10-2 run, then scored 12 straight points after a West Marshall 3-pointer out of its first timeout. Seven Warriors have already scored.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 8:50 AM Pinned

    How to watch girls' state basketball tournament games

    Live stream: IGHSAU YouTube or IGHSAU Digital Network

    Live stats: IGHSAU

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 8:49 AM Pinned

    Tuesday's girls' state basketball schedule

    CLASS 3A QUARTERFINALS

    No. 3 West Marshall (23-1) vs. No. 7 Sioux Center (18-5), 10 a.m.

    CLASS 4A QUARTERFINALS

    No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes (20-3) vs. Glenwood (16-8), 11:45 a.m.

    No. 4 Ballard (18-3) vs. No. 5 Decorah (21-2), 1:30 p.m.

    No. 2 North Polk (21-2) vs. No. 7 Clear Creek Amana (18-4), 3:15 p.m.

    No. 3 Sioux City Heelan (22-2) vs. No. 6 Cedar Rapids Xavier (16-7), 5 p.m.

    CLASS 2A QUARTERFINALS

    No. 1 Dike-New Hartford (23-1) vs. No. 15 Aplington-Parkersburg (20-4), 6:45 p.m.

    No. 4 Sibley-Ocheyedan (21-3) vs. No. 5 Iowa City Regina (21-4), 8:30 p.m.

  • Jeff Linder • 2/28/23 8:48 AM Pinned

    A closer look at Tuesday's games

    Capsules for Tuesday's games involving area teams at the Iowa high school girls' state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.

  • Nathan Ford • 2/28/23 8:48 AM Pinned

    Bookmark this girls' state basketball coverage

    » Updated brackets, schedules and scores for all 5 classes

    » Monday's updates: Scores, stats and more

    » Game-by-game predictions and top players to watch