Live Blog: State Tournament Day 2
We will be keeping you updated throughout the day right here with all the action at the State Tournament! Follow us on Twitter @PGHIowa in order to get full updates. Check back to see updated game scores at each half and stats throughout the day as well as a short recap of each game. If you can’t make it to Des Moines, follow along with the action right here: Day 2 Live Stream
Game 1: Center Point-Urbana 67 vs. West Marshall 31 (3A)
West Marshall held the first lead of the game, 1-0, but after a 29-4 run into the early stages of the second quarter Center Point-Urbana had the game all but wrapped up. Center Point-Urbana used their length to create havoc all game long and ended up forced 16 first half turnovers. Those turnovers led to 23 points in the first half alone. The biggest factor in the game was the length of Center Point-Urbana and the inability of West Marshall to matchup with it.
Player of the Game: Ryley Goebel
**19 points, 7 steals**
Goebel was very good all game long. She came off of the bench and used her length at the top of the press to really create a ton of turnovers. She tied a career high today with 19 points on a very efficient 9-of-11 shooting in just 17 minutes. She was a very big player in the huge win for Center Point-Urbana.
Best Stat Lines
Kayla Cripps (West Marshall): 13 points
Ryley Goebel (Center Point-Urbana): 19 points, 7 steals
Adrianna Katcher (Center Point-Urbana): 17 points
Game 2: Cedar Rapids Xavier 35 vs. Marion 70 (4A)
Cedar Rapids Xavier got off to a quick 5-0 start but it was Marion who controlled the first. Marion jumped out to a 20-9 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Marion was getting after it on the boards and not allowing Cedar Rapids Xavier to get any good looks inside the perimeter. They held a 14-point lead at the half and only allowed Cedar Rapids Xavier four points in the third quarter. It was a dominating win for the Marion team.
Player of the Game: Kayba Laube
**25 points, 3 assists**
Laube really turned it on in the second half of the game as she went 3-of-4 from deep. Overall, she had a really good shooting night and was able to dictate a lot on the offensive end. Used her quickness to get into the lane and score the ball really well. Plays with a passion for the game and is a really scorer at all three levels.
Best Stat Lines
Kaybe Laube (Marion): 25 points
Riley Wright (Marion): 15 points
Emily Jasper (Cedar Rapids Xavier): 11 points, 13 rebounds
Game 3: Mason City 55 vs. Waverly-Shell Rock 49 (4A)
Mason City and Waverly-Shell Rock locked into a battle from the opening tip. It looked as if Mason City was going to pull away but WSR stayed right with them as Mason City never opened up more than an eight point lead. I thought that Mason City would end up getting out to a lead that would be insurmountable but they kept turning it over in key situations. It was a very good 4A game with both teams deserving of the win.
Player of the Game: Megan Meyer (Mason City)
**21 points**
Meyer was very solid in the game and while it wasn’t efficient, she was able to draw attention away from others making it very effective. She was able to get into the lane really well and finish. Showed poise under pressure in the face of being the opposing student section’s favorite player on the floor. Really liked her ability to affect the games in different ways whether or not the ball was in her hand. Committed to Iowa.
Best Stat Lines
Megan Meyer (Mason City): 21 points
Anna Deets (Mason City): 12 points
Abbie Draper (Waverly-Shell Rock): 19 points, 8 rebounds
Game 4: North Scott vs. Denison-Schleswig
North Scott led wire-to-wire in this game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score looked. North Scott shot the ball really well from the outside and Dension-Schleswig just could not get anything to fall. It was a dominant effort by North Scott in all facets of the game on both ends of the floor. They have a great guard who is complemented with a post who can score. They really put forth a great effort today.
Player of the Game: Presley Case (North Scott)
**8 points, 7 assists**
Case was the lead lead for North Scott who played really well. I thought between her and Grace Boffeli either of them could have been the best player on the court. I went with Case because I thought that she really set the offense up well and was very efficient. Great passer and ball handler who dished out seven assists and no turnovers.
Best Stat Lines
Grace Boffeli (North Scott): 13 points, 14 rebounds
Chloe Engelkes (North Scott): 13 points
Presley Case (North Scott): 8 points, 7 assists
Alex Mohr (Denison-Schleswig): 9 points
Game 5: Bishop Heelan 55 vs. Grinnell 46 (4A)
Bishop Heelan survived a comeback bid by Grinnell late into the first half as they pulled away late for a nine point win. Bishop Heelan had a 13 point lead with 3:55 left in the second quarter but then Grinnell took a three point lead 15 seconds into the second half. They were able to get the lead back late and Bishop Heelan salted it away near the end of the game to move on to the semifinal round.
Player of the Game: Amber Aesoph (Bishop Heelan)
**13 points, 4 rebounds**
Aesoph was really good off the bench giving her team the spark it needed to win. She was key coming off of the bench with some clutch baskets and grabbed a couple critical rebounds. I really like how she plays and I thought that she came up big in the game, especially late in the game powering her team to the win.
Best Stat Lines
Macy Harris (Grinnell): 13 points, 9 rebounds
Ella Skinner (Bishop Heelan): 14 points
Amber Aesoph (Bishop Heelan): 13 points
Game 6: Grundy Center 49 vs. Unity Christian 45
Grundy Center and Unity Christian locked into a battle as it was a game of runs late. Unity Christian got off to a very solid start as they held a 9-0 lead just two minutes into the game. Grundy Center battled back though as they took a 23-20 lead at halftime. Grundy Center actually trailed by five late in the fourth but a quick 8-0 run put a stop to Unity Christian’s upset bid.
Player of the Game: Hailey Wallis (Grundy Center)
Wallis was not her greatest self, but she played really well. I thought that she played super tough late and was really good at pressuring the ball to force turnovers. She crashed the boards tough and didn’t back down whatsoever. She has a great motor and never stopped competing.
Best Stat Lines
Hailey Wallis (Grundy Center): 8 points, 10 rebounds
Janie Schoonhoven (Unity Christian): 12 points, 15 rebounds
Game 7: Cascade vs. Dike-New Hartford
Cascade held on to earn a big win over a very good Dike-New Hartford team. While Dike-New Hartford couldn’t get a lead of more than two points, Cascade had a lead of 14 points in the second quarter. Dike-New Hartford closed the gap to 3 in the third quarter, but couldn’t get any closer than that as they ended up not getting enough offense to fall to Cascade.
Player of the Game: Abby Welter (Cascade)
**17 points, 6 rebounds**
Welter played a great game and was very strong the entire game. She scored 12 points in the second half and really willed her team to the win. She was a bit under the radar in the game but I thought that she was very aggressive throughout. Really liked how she stayed poise under pressure when Dike-New Hartford made a run there in the second half.
Best Stat Lines
Abby Welter (Cascade): 17 points, 6 rebounds
Nicole McDermott (Cascade): 15 points
Ellie Foster (Dike-New Hartford): 20 points
Morgan Weber (Dike-New Hartford): 14 points, 11 rebounds