2A Players Who Punched Their Team’s Ticket to State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Continuing the series of highlighting kids who stood out in each Region Final, we're looking at 2A and the kids who helped get their team to the Wells Fargo Center. I'll finish up with 1A tomorrow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='314094' first='Payton' last='Petersen']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dike-New Hartford coasted to a 67-28 Region Final win over Bellevue, and they got excellent contributions from all over the place. Petersen is the one that stood out to me because of her shooting from the field. When I say her shooting from the field, I mean that she made all seven of the shots she took in the game and grabbed eight rebounds. Petersen also recorded two blocks and a steal in the Wolverines' win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='127610' first='Madison' last='Brouwer']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Sibley-Ocheyedan senior had the most outstanding performance in 2A in the Region Finals, without question. Brouwer recorded 32 points and 12 rebounds in the win. The senior also shot 12 of 15 from the field and made eight of her 13 free-throw attempts from the charity stripe. I also want to highlight [player_tooltip player_id='160559' first='Bria' last='Wasmund'] for dishing out 12 assists for the Generals. Brouwer and her team were firing on all cylinders to take the Region title and make the trip to Des Moines this week. When this team is firing, they are a dangerous team who's a threat to score every time down the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grace Gaard</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mediaopolis gave Regina Catholic more than a competitive game, but the Regals snuck out with a 55-54 win. Grace Gaard had a well-rounded night, giving the Regals 14 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in the win over the Bulldogs. The Regals didn't have their best night from the field, but players like Gaard helped manufacture points by getting to the free-throw line and grabbing some offensive rebounds. Teams who can find a way to win when they aren't at their best are dangerous, and Regina Catholic fits that mold of a team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ellen Waller</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior Ellen Waller led Aplington-Parkersburg with 22 points in their Region Final win over Beckman Catholic. Waller was a big reason the Falcons separated in the second and third quarters. Her ability to play on both ends of the floor and affect the game directly with her scoring is massive, especially in small school basketball. She shot over 50% from the floor and made all her shots at the free-throw line. Waller made the Trailblazers pay for every mistake they made in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->