Five Items of Interest from Class 5A State Semifinals

Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area   The final four became the last two Thursday morning when the Class 5A state tournament semifinals were contested in Des Moines. First, top-seeded Johnston outlasted pesky Ankeny, and then Waukee Northwest needed overtime to overcome Dowling Catholic.   Here are five items of interest from Thursday's action:   EXPERIENCE PREVAILS   Ankeny displayed a ton of grit in pushing a program that last lost during the 2022-23 season and has dropped just two games in the last five campaigns. When it was winning time, however, the Dragons found away to slay their prey once again.   Star guard [player_tooltip player_id='342205' first='Jayla' last='Williams'] hit a lay-up to pull the Hawks to within four points of the lead with 3:44 remaining in regulation. Johnston standout [player_tooltip player_id='557354' first='Jenica' last='Lewis'] missed a three-pointer on the other end, and Ankeny grabbed the defensive rebound.   Williams then had, what appeared to be, a clear lane to hoop and hopes of making it a one-possession game. At the last second, Lewis quickly stabbed at the ball and knocked it off Williams' leg, however. Ankeny would not score again, as the champs pulled away for a 49-39 victory.   Lewis' steal set forth in motion a series of winning plays from an experienced team on the big stage against an opponent that last reached state in 2013. Lewis calmly knocked down a pair of free throws, [player_tooltip player_id='644557' first='Ari' last='Phillips'] scored a big bucket and crashed the boards, and [player_tooltip player_id='667952' first='Jaliyah' last='Kinnetz-Jenkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='880913' first='Kelli' last='Kalb'] also delivered in the clutch.   CRASHING THE GLASS   Underdog Ankeny did well in getting the Dragons our of their offensive rhythm. Johnston lost the turnover battle, 15-12, and shot an uncharacteristic 37.5 percent from the floor.   The victors found away to make up for a sluggish night on offense, though. They held a 35-20 rebounding advantage, proving especially aggressive on the offensive glass. It led to a 12-0 shutout on second-chance points.   Phillips paced the group with 10 boards, six of which were offensive. Lewis and Kalb each collected eight rebounds, and [player_tooltip player_id='644558' first='Daya' last='Phillips'] grabbed five.   [player_tooltip player_id='782498' first='Ainsley' last='Kiene'] was the only Hawk with more than three rebounds. She pulled down eight.   A STEADY CLIMB   Waukee Northwest, which opened its doors for the 2021-22 school year, reached the state tournament for the first time a year ago. The Wolves dropped a five-point decision to Dowling Catholic in the 5A semifinals.   They avenged that defeat on Thursday with a 56-50 overtime triumph in this year's semifinals. A winning formula where everybody contributes worked as it had all season long.   Six different Northwest players scored at least seven points with [player_tooltip player_id='777233' first='Romey' last='Croatt']'s 12 being the team-high. [player_tooltip player_id='935274' first='Vana' last='Bilic'] (11), [player_tooltip player_id='1092007' first='Sadie' last='McCann'] (9), [player_tooltip player_id='880911' first='Victoria' last='Burpo'] (9), [player_tooltip player_id='686893' first='Cassidy' last='Danburg'] (8) and [player_tooltip player_id='834562' first='Logan' last='Vogt'] (7) answered the call when their numbers were called. The group cashed in from the foul line, sinking 15 of 16 attempts from the charity stripe. They also took care of the basketball, turning it over just seven times to Dowling's 13.   LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD   During their early years, it was challenging for the Wolves to hang with a Dowling program steeped in a storied tradition. The Maroons captured the first nine meetings in the series, often by lopsided scores. Northwest finally broke through with its first win on Jan. 13 only to lose by nine in West Des Moines a month later.   Like it has in other sports, Northwest has caught up to the competition in girls basketball. In November, the volleyball team won its second state title in the last three years, and the football squad reached The Dome for the first time ever. Dowling won the football title and reached state in volleyball.   Thursday's win by Northwest provided more evidence that it's settled as a player across sports. Any state win against Dowling would be a key date point. This Maroon group had won at least 20 games in each of the last four years.   We should expect fireworks when Dowling seeks revenge against the Wolves in 2026-27. It returns starters [player_tooltip player_id='777225' first='Katie' last='Muller'], [player_tooltip player_id='1238790' first='Adrienne' last='Sears'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1201512' first='Nikki' last='Muller'] along with key reserves Olivia Meredith and Tess Carmichael. [player_tooltip player_id='582813' first='Ellie' last='Muller'] and Madison Rice will be missed, however.   WILLIAMS, MULLER WRAP UP SPECIAL CAREERS   Two of the better Iowa ballers in recent memory wrapped up their outstanding careers on Thursday.   [player_tooltip player_id='342205' first='Jayla' last='Williams'] gave it her all during Ankeny's loss to Johnston with 20 points, four steals, three rebounds, an assist and a block in playing all 32 minutes. The Creighton commitment averaged better than 21 points an outing in helping the program end a long state tournament drought, highlighted by a school-record, 34-point outburst at Southeast Polk on Feb. 2.   [player_tooltip player_id='582813' first='Ellie' last='Muller'] completed her time as a prep with 17 points (8-13 FG), 11 rebounds and four blocks against Northwest on Thursday. This season, the Missouri pledge became just the 42nd 5-on-5 player in Iowa with at least 1,000 career rebounds. She was only the 11th player with at least 1,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds & 300 career blocks.

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