Game Report: Regina at West Branch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WEST BRANCH, Iowa - </strong>Class 2A No. 6 Iowa City Regina made the short trip up Herbert Hoover Highway Friday night for a River Valley Conference matchup with West Branch. The visitors prevailed, 63-41, completing the regular-season sweep of their rival. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Regina guard [player_tooltip player_id='311391' first='Morgan' last='Miller'] continued her super sophomore season, netting a game-high 25 points and grabbing a team-best five rebounds. She showed again that she's one of the top players in the class with her well-rounded skill set. She has a knack for penetrating through the defense to score at the rim or with short pull-ups. She put a lot of pressure on the Bear guards on both ends of the court, racking up four steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='63024' first='Grace' last='Gaarde'] added 12 points to go with team-highs in assists (6) and steals (5) for the winners. She's proven steady and reliable in her four years as a starter. Her ability to hit from deep opened up the floor for Miller and others, and she generated offense off of her defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore Ella McLaughlin played poised and confidently in the this contest for the Regals (16-3). She almost doubled her season's scoring average with 11 points. She blended in the first time I saw Regina in '22-23 but stood out in this game, showing a nice looking jumper from distance and an ability to get to the rim. She saw the floor well as evidenced by her three assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Regina's second leading scorer, Alli Clark, drew a lot of defense and did a nice job moving the ball to open teammates. She pulled down four rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As you would expect in a rivalry game, West Branch (3-16) hung around into the second half with aggressive play. '24 Kylie Pickett impressed me with her range and form. She looked really good on deep corner shots. She showed good handles and offers nice size for a guard. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Branch '23 Sadie Smith is a handful inside. She can eat up space, gets to her spots and finishes at the rim with either hand. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>'24 Alyse Klinkkammer runs the point effectively and efficiently for the Bears. She sees the floor well and can break down opponents with either hand. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->