DES MOINES -- The outcome still undecided with six seconds left, Tom Lilly had the following message to his team in the final timeout: "Isn't this fun? Isn't this awesome?" Kayla Armstrong scored on a twisting, running shot with eight seconds left, ...
DES MOINES -- Here are results from the 2013 girls state basketball tournament: MONDAY Class 1A Quarterfinals Newell-Fonda 75, Villisca 28 Bellevue Marquette 65, Ar-We-Va 57 (OT) Burlington Notre Dame 60, Colo-Nesco 43 Central Lyon 67, Earlham 43 Class 2A Quarterfinals Western Christian 65, Pella Christian 28 Aplington-Parkersburg 48, ...
DES MOINES -- Hangover? Letdown? Tom Lilly isn't too worried. "I don't think so," he said. "At this point, there's too much at stake." Cedar Rapids Xavier takes aim at the Class 4A girls state basketball championship Saturday. The fifth-ranked Saints (16-9) ...
DES MOINES -- Tony Vis stood outside the Wells Fargo Arena interview room Thursday night, his former players talking to the media. One by one, they exited the room and greeted Vis with bear hugs. "I'm really happy for them," Vis said. ...
DES MOINES -- A late-night ride home awaited the Xavier Saints. It was bound to be a happy one. "It's going to be stupid," senior guard Sarah Dickes said. That's a good thing. Kayla Armstrong played the game of her life Thursday night, posting ...
DES MOINES – Still in her jersey, Naomi Phillips took a long walk from one end of the bowels of Wells Fargo Arena to the other. For the Waverly-Shell Rock senior, the trip probably felt like trekking from one side ...
DES MOINES -- The Davenport Assumption students knew at 10-0. Mike Sconsa had a feeling earlier than that. Top-ranked Assumption solved the vaunted zone defense of No. 4 Cascade, drilling 10 3-pointers in a 63-26 Class 3A semifinal rout at the girls' ...
DES MOINES -- Lawton-Bronson changed its defense. And with it, the complexion of the game. The second-ranked Eagles gave No. 14 Maquoketa Valley all sorts of fits with an extended zone and sidelined the Wildcats, 59-44, in a Class 2A semifinal at the ...
DES MOINES – Clearly there was something wrong after Thursday’s class 2A semifinal. There were no long faces and no tears. Both teams were happy, and the game didn’t end in a tie. Top-ranked Western Christian (25-1) trounced Aplington-Parkersburg 64-40 to ...
DES MOINES — Former Hubbard-Radcliffe and Drake basketball star Lisa Brinkmeyer paused, then reflected. This week marks the 20th state girls’ basketball tournament since she helped close-out the six-on-six era with a 1993 title win over Atlantic. Five-on-five — already being played ...
DES MOINES - With 44.9 seconds left in her career, Bellevue Marquette senior Sarah Lampe left the court at Wells Fargo Arena to chants of “We Are…Mohawks!” She was already red-faced from physical exertion, anguish, getting hit upside the head, or ...
DES MOINES -- Iowa City West's championship reign ended in an avalanche of 3-pointers. Third-ranked Mason City set a state-tournament record with 14 triples, and the Mohawks downed No. 10 West, 72-53, in a Class 5A quarterfinal Wednesday night at Wells ...
DES MOINES -- The Ankeny Hawkettes take good shots, make good shots. Second-ranked Ankeny played from ahead virtually the whole way, converting 56 percent of its shots in a 66-58 victory over Cedar Rapids Washington in a Class 5A quarterfinal at ...
DES MOINES — Sioux City Heelan’s Megan McCarthy set her feet and rose up with confidence. So what if the 5-11 post hadn’t attempted a 3-pointer all season? It is the state tournament, after all, and she drained both tries in Wednesday’s ...
DES MOINES -- Sarah Dickes wasn't being pushy. She was being a leader. A winner. So she called for the ball. "I'm confident in my free throw shooting," Dickes said. "So in the huddle, we knew they were going to foul. I told ...
DES MOINES — Waverly-Shell Rock found kindling for a rout at an unlikely spot: The 3-point line. The interior-focused and second-ranked Go-Hawks drained four long-range baskets in the first quarter, setting the stage for Tuesday’s 67-45 Class 4A state girls’ basketball ...
DES MOINES -- The same phrase passed Madison Weekly's lips three times in a brief postgame interview. "We couldn't get into a flow." Credit the eighth-ranked Harlan Cyclones, who slowed both of the top two scorers for No. 3 Benton Community, and ...
DES MOINES — Waverly-Shell Rock star post Aftin Phyfe’s at home in the sea or the paint. Growing up in South America — far-off countries such as Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay — often granted prime access to enticing aquatic environments. “I was ...
DES MOINES — There’s length, then there’s length. The revealing term, spoken with the right inflection, implies that something else augments it. And that’s skill. Second-ranked MOC-Floyd Valley ripples with that imposing on-court combination, and it’s a prime reason why the Lady Dutch pulled ...
DES MOINES -- The Cascade Cougars are devoted to defense. "More than half of our practice is centered around defensive stuff, every day," said Holly Hunt. All that shifting and all those stances. Grunt work that isn't glamorous, or much fun. But Tuesday ...
DES MOINES -- The Maquoketa Valley Wildcats arrived at Wells Fargo Arena for the first time, and crafted a masterpiece. The 14th-rated Wildcats shot 45 free throws, made 34 and upset No. 3 IKM-Manning, 65-57, in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the girls' ...
Editor’s note: Here is your chance to tell your story about your team, your school or your favorite player. If you’d like to join The Gazette’s growing list of high school contributors, contact J.R. Ogden at jr.ogden@thegazette.com By Kate Huber, Maquoketa ...
DES MOINES -- Lawton-Bronson was on the verge of winning by knockout. It settled for victory by decision. Down 19 points in the fourth quarter, Iowa City Regina pushed the second-ranked Eagles to the end before running out of time. Lawton-Bronson escaped, ...
DES MOINES -- The society of seniors survived a slow start. Tenth-ranked Aplington-Parkersburg shook out the cobwebs and fought past No. 7 Panorama, 48-38, in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the girls' state basketball tournament Monday night at Wells Fargo Arena. The ...
Tuesday's games at the girls state basketball tournament: CLASS 2A QUARTERFINAL No. 14 Maquoketa Valley (19-5) vs. No. 3 IKM-Manning Time: 10 a.m. Tournament history: Maquoketa Valley is making its fifth appearance, its first since 2004. IKM-Manning is at state for the fourth time, ...
DES MOINES -- Joel Oswald had good news at his fingertips. Weather stations indicated that the brunt of Winter Storm Rocky appeared to be headed well south of Des Moines. "We were prepared to bring teams in early," said Oswald, the assistant ...
DES MOINES -- Jim Kettmann called it "poetic justice." Unwillingness to quit, that applies, too. Blake Banowetz scored on an offensive rebound with 5 seconds left in regulation, then 13th-ranked Bellevue Marquette controlled overtime in a 65-57 win over No. 4 Ar-We-Va ...


