<span style="font-weight: 400">In the nightcap of the state tournament’s opening day, No. 3 Des Moines Christian (23-2) topped Roland-Story (19-6) 49-41. The game began at 9:16 p.m., but it was far from a yawner, as the Norse cut an 11-point DMC lead into a one-point game with just three minutes. However, the Lions made the plays down the stretch to advance to the semifinals against No. 2 Center Point-Urbana. Here is what stood out:</span>
<strong>A well-oiled machine</strong>
<span style="font-weight: 400">In winning there 23rd — yes, 23rd — straight game, Des Moines Christian showed how good they can be as they operated as a smooth unit. It wasn’t the best game from sophomore point guard </span><strong>Moriah Prewitt</strong><span style="font-weight: 400"><strong>,</strong> who finished 0 of 6 from the field with 6 turnovers, but she still</span> <span style="font-weight: 400">piloted the offense effectively. Her ability to handle the ball, guide the offense, create for others (she had 4 assists) was evident.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400">And although she wasn’t hitting her shots, the rest of the Lions were, as they spread the ball around and found openings. The result was 9-of-16 3-point shooting and 12 assists on 16 made buckets.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400">“They won 22 games in a row for a reason,” Roland-Story coach Justin Morton said. “They’re very well-coached. They’re very disciplined. They move the ball well. They find the open girl, and when all five of them are hitting shots, I mean, they can beat anybody.”</span>
<strong>The closer</strong>
<span style="font-weight: 400">It probably wouldn’t be fair to call senior </span><strong>Emma Veenstra</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">a ‘glue’ player, because her impact is pretty overt, but she was essential in tying together DMC’s win. Down the stretch, Veenstra was absolutely clutch.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400">The versatile player entered the game leading the team in assists and second in rebounds, but was only 3-of-18 from 3-point range. However, it was her 3-point make (followed by a fist pump) with 2:20 left that gave DMC a 4-point lead and some breathing room. She then forced a steal and scored again to preserve the Lions’ win. She finished with a game-high 15 points (on 4 of 5 shooting, including 2 triples) plus 6 rebounds and 3 assists.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400">The 5-foot-10 wing did a little bit of everything. </span>
<strong>Good luck stopping Kaili Lawson</strong>
<span style="font-weight: 400">The Lions’ leading scorer and rebounder, </span><strong>Kaili Lawson</strong><span style="font-weight: 400">, was a handful on Monday night. The 6-foot-1 senior hit a top-of-the-key 3-pointer, a mid-range jumper and was effective in the paint. She displayed great patience in waiting for openings inside and scored over a double-team, finishing with 14 points, 7 rebounds and a block.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400">With good size and a solid jumper, Lawson is a handful and made her presence known on both sides of the ball.</span>
<strong>A 3-point barrage</strong>
<span style="font-weight: 400">In what is becoming a common trend, both teams let it fly from deep. Each team hit more 3-pointers than 2-pointers and 57 percent of the game’s total points came on treys. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400">That’s to be expected. Roland-Story finished with the most 3-point makes of any team in 3A, and DMC currently ranks fifth.</span>
<strong>Megan Miller</strong><span style="font-weight: 400">, a 5-foot-11 DMC sophomore, confidently shot the ball and knocked down 3-of-5 triples, while Roland-Story senior </span><strong>Susie Weaver</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">kept the Norse in it with her shooting, as she lit it up for 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from deep.</span>
<strong>The future of Roland-Story</strong>
<span style="font-weight: 400">Roland-Story, in some ways, exceeded expectations by making the state tournament this season — their first since 2011. But they project to be an even stronger team next season. They return 80 percent of their scoring and although they will miss Weaver and 6-foot-1 post </span><strong>MaKayla Geise</strong><span style="font-weight: 400">, a future Valparaiso volleyball player, they return the rest of their team.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400">5-foot-11 </span><strong>Reagan Barkema</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">showed the ability to be aggressive both offensively (14 points on 6-of-13 shooting) and defensively (3 blocks) on Monday night. The freshman is a bit raw, but has the looks of a player who could make a big leap next year. She was good this season. Expect her to be great next year.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400">The Norse also return some key guards in </span><strong>Juliann Clark</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">and </span><strong>Kylie Tjernagel</strong><span style="font-weight: 400">. Clark is a good scorer and a solid all-around guard (3 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists), while Tjernagel has elite quickness.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400">"I’m confident that this isn’t the last time that we’ll be heard of, and we have a lot of girls coming back next year, and we’ll keep plugging away,” Morton said.</span>
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