Three Items of Interest from Class 3A State Semifinals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code:&nbsp;howe30&nbsp;in the coupon code area</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final four became the last two Thursday afternoon when the Class 3A state tournament semifinals were contested in Des Moines. First, top-seeded Mount Vernon outlasted a game Wahlert Catholic outfit. Then, No. 2 Maquoketa held off Des Moines Christian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are three items of interest from Thursday's 3A action:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BUDDING RIVALRY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's too bad it took you too long to arrive, but we're glad you're here. "You" would be a budding rivalry between strong Eastern Iowa programs in Mount Vernon and Wahlert Catholic. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mount Vernon won Round 1, grinding out a 47-36 victory in the 2025 state championship game. The Mustangs prevailed again in Thursday's semifinals, 53-49. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Golden Eagles made things interesting by winning the third quarter, 20-8, to pull to within two points of the lead. It was a one-possession game with 1:50 to go in regulation. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Turned out, the champs could take a punch. A [player_tooltip player_id='957840' first='Savanna' last='Wright'] trey quickly put them up by two possessions again, but [player_tooltip player_id='1215780' first='Lucy' last='Lueken'] jumper trimmed their lead to 52-49 with :25 remaining in the fourth quarter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After the teams traded timeouts, Wahlert quickly fouled [player_tooltip player_id='883553' first='Quinn' last='Pershing'] after not getting a steal. The Mustang sophomore sank 1 of 2 from the line, again making it a two-possession game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Golden Eagles misses a three-point attempt with :13 on the clock. Wright grabbed the rebound, and Wahlert chose not to foul.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>YOUNG GUNS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The reason to believe it's budding rivalry is because the teams should be formidable for the foreseeable future. Young stars dot both rosters. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wright and Pershing are sophomores. They're Mount Vernon's top two scorers this season. Fellow starter [player_tooltip player_id='889729' first='Rylee' last='Rasmussen'] also will be back as will rotation members Alivia Truitt, Lucy Wischmeyer, [player_tooltip player_id='1092817' first='Sophia' last='Meester'], Kinley Nissen and Skylar Pasker. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wahlert freshman [player_tooltip player_id='920715' first='Emily' last='Tanny'] showed throughout the season, and again at the state tournament, that she'll be a force for three more years. The daughter of former Dubuque Senior and Iowa Hawkeyes star Amy Herrig-Tanny, who later played in the WNBA, Tanny led the Golden Eagles in scoring, rebounding and assists this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lueken and fellow starter [player_tooltip player_id='868177' first='Celia' last='Scherr'], the team's third-leading scorer, also will be back. [player_tooltip player_id='1250293' first='Payton' last='Knopp'], [player_tooltip player_id='1215777' first='Ella' last='Kennedy'], Evelyn Adams, Jenna Nack, Madeline Moroney and Addison Splinter retain eligibility, too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NICE TO MEET YOU</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was the first-ever meeting between Maquoketa and Des Moines Christian. The Lions were competing in their fifth state tournament since 2000. Maquoketa was playing at state for the first time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the newness, the Cardinals have flown high in Des Moines this week. They easily dispatched with Mediapolis in Monday's quarterfinals. They made the winning plays after clinging to a one-point lead with 2:47 left to play in regulation on Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the Lions looking to take the lead, Kendall Kuhlman swiped a steal before [player_tooltip player_id='534428' first='Aubrey' last='Kroymann']'s jumper pushed the Maquoketa advantage to three. Kroymann then rebounded a Des Moines Christian miss and assisted on a trey by [player_tooltip player_id='1250211' first='Isabel' last='Hopson']. The Cardinals remained ahead by two possessions the rest of the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='435773' first='Cora' last='Widel'] paced the winners with 18 points, fueled by hitting 13 of 17 free-throw attempts. The senior also pulled down eight rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='782510' first='Maelyn' last='Kluever'] added 12 points in the victory, while Justice Armbruste<a href="https://ighsaustats.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/2025-26/players?id=ophz80s8k8c1u15y">r</a> swiped five steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='896069' first='Reese' last='DeVooght'] led the Lions with 17 points, while teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1194333' first='Addy' last='Oetker'] filled the scorebook with 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mount Vernon owns a 16-6 advantage in the series with Maquoketa. The Mustangs have won the last three meetings after ending a six-game steak by the Cardinals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->