EG FALLS TO COLO-NESCO 55-53 IN SEMIFINAL ROUND
A torrid, last-minute comeback fueled by 3 three-point shots came up just short for East Greene Tuesday night, as the Hawks fell 55-53 to Colo-Nesco in the district semifinal rounds.
Colo-Nesco was ahead by 9 with less than a minute left in the game but EG started hitting its three-point shots while CN was having trouble at the foul line. According to the Ames Tribune, EG almost pulled off this foul-and-three strategy and had cut the lead to just 2 when Aaron Lyons hit a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left. But the Hawks were not able to foul again on the ensuing throw-in and CN got the win.
EG (18-5) closes out its best season in more than 25 years while Colo-Nesco (20-2) moves on to the district final in Story City tonight against Coon Rapids-Bayard, a 44-23 winner Tuesday over Van Meter.
The winner in Story City tonight will move on the substate game in Marshalltown on Monday against the winner of tonight’s game between Lynville-Sully and North Tama (Traer). The winner there advances on to the state tournament, which gets underway March 8 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Lynville-Sully, Colo-Nesco and North Tama are all ranked in the Top 10 Class 1A Associated Press rankings while Coon Rapids-Bayard is coming off an appearance in last year’s 1A state tourney.
Against EG tonight, Brandon Eley, who has earned a basketball scholarship to play on AIB’s first basketball team, scored 31 points for the Royals, and hit some key 3-pointers in the third quarter as CN started to pull away, leading by 12 at the break, 45-33.
EG then went into rally mode, just as they had in the first half. The Hawks opened the game slowly, falling behind in the first quarter 9-2 and were behind 14-9 at the end of the period. EG got some solid inside play from senior center Nic Nicolaisen in the second quarter to take the lead at 25-21 with two minutes left on the clock. Eley came back with two three-pointers to spur the Royals and go up 29-27 at the half.
In the third, it looked like the Royals might run away with the game with a 16-6 run but the Hawks hung in there and kept their cool and whittled away at the lead in the final stages of a pressure-packed game on the opponent’s home floor. Zach Dearborn paced the Hawks with 16 points and Nicolaisen had 15.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Chalk this up under the “almost great glory moments” of EG hoop history, marked by the heart-wrenching loss in the 1961 girls district basketball championship, where the undefeated and highly-ranked Hawkettes, led by Hall of Famer Pam Slock, lost to Cedar Valley, coming up short of the vaunted “Sweet 16” state tourney that year by just 2 points; the EG loss to Jefferson in the 1966 district boys finals in the old one-class-for all era of tournament play which ended EG’s undefeated season and sent Jefferson to the substate against Ames, an even larger school (Ames won and went to state—just 1 of 8 teams); and the shock in 1983 when the Hawks, undefeated and ranked No. 2 for most of the season and coming off a state tourney appearance the year before, were downed by conference rival Glidden-Ralston in a barn-burner sectional final.
Plus there was last year’s substate 3-2 baseball loss to Ar-We-Va, along with other “almost there” moments to note, like EG’s loss in the baseball substate the fall of 1961 and the summer tournament substate loss in the summer of 1983. Those latter two tournaments each had just a four-team field, so EG was among the best 8 teams in baseball those two years (and the tourney fields were later increased to that number). And in 1949, behind the scoring of Jerry Doran, Grand Junction had advanced to the substate final which marks yet another “almost to state” boys basketball moment, and in 1955 Rippey made it through the “B” sectional, the “B” district, and the first round of a one-class-for-all substate before falling in the semifinal round to Ames, which went on to win the substate and eventually the 1955 state championship, the first ever played at Vet’s Auditorium, which had just opened.
Talk about hard luck. After Rippey’s run through a one-class tournament in ’55, it was the next year the Iowa High School Athletic Association divided the tournament into two classes at state (A and B from 1957 to 1960), and again when the Hawks were overpowered by a much larger school in ’66, well, again, the IAHSAA apparently realized there is a big difference in enrollment between Rippey and Ames and East Greene and Ames, and Jefferson, and again went to a two-class tournament the following year.
OK, at least maybe they felt our pain or something, but could they not have made those two-class tourneys the year we had those super-great teams?? Or did they do that just to rub it in our face or something (we’ll reward you small schools after taking our pleasure from watching the teams in eastern Greene County scale the mountain—and not make it, hahaha)? Makes you wonder doesn’t it?
Showing posts with label Colo-Nesco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colo-Nesco. Show all posts
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Hawks Face Colo-Nesco in District Semifinal
EG ADVANCES WITH 68-17 THUMPING OF SWG
East Greene’s tuned up for tonight’s semifinal district game against state-ranked Colo-Nesco with a 68-17 romp over Southeast Webster-Grand on Thursday night in a district basketball opening round game in Rippey.
The Hawks dominated the game from start to finish, jumping out to a 27-6 first quarter lead. EG was up 53-10 at the half, and then held SWG scoreless in the third quarter, padding the lead to 62-10.
Zach Dearborn led the Hawk scoring brigade with 16 points. Nic Nicolaisen scored 14 points and snared 8 rebounds with Aaron Lyons also in double figures with 10 points. EG shot a blistering 56% from the field, connecting on 30 of 54 shots while holding the Eagles to just 7 of 34. The Hawks forced SWG into 31 turnovers and had a big edge in rebounding, 32-23.
EG went 3-11 from the 3-point line and hit half of their 10 free throw attempts. SWG was 0-5 on 3-point attempts and 3-12 from the free throw line for 25% accuracy.
SWG closed out the season with a 3-20 mark. EG advances to the semifinal round with an 18-4 record.
The Hawks face a big challenge tonight against in Colo against No. 9-ranked Colo-Nesco (19-2), co-champs of the Iowa Star-South Conference. Colo-Nesco beat Madrid 55-28 in a quarterfinal round game Thursday in Colo. One of CN’s two losses this season came to league co-champ North Tama, 57-51, the No. 10 team in the state. CN beat North Tama earlier in the season, 49-48. Its other loss was to Iowa Star-South conference foe Don Bosco (Gilbertville), 52-29, which was avenged later in the season with a 50-48 win.
CN has also handed Northeast Hamilton (20-2), winners of the Iowa Star-North crown, with just one of its two losses of the season.
The Royals are lead by 6-1 senior forward Brandon Eley, who averages 20 points and 11 rebounds a game. Against Madrid, Eley dropped in 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
Should the Hawks get by Colo-Nesco they would face either Van Meter (5-17), a surprise winner over Ankeny Christian Academy, 48-45, or Coon Rapids-Bayard (14-6), which advanced with a 35-27 win over Glidden-Ralston. Those two teams square off tonight in Coon Rapids. The district finals are Thursday in Story City.
CRB, which was one of the eight teams in the 1A state tourney field last year, is peaking at the right time as the Crusaders won their sixth straight game at Glidden.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: On paper, it looks like Colo-Nesco is the hands-down favorite. The Royals appear to have everything in their favor—home-court advantage, a lofty state ranking, and a conference championship under their belt. But all those positives could work in East Greene’s favor as the Royals could easily dismiss the Hawks and ignore their 19 wins as mostly against inferior teams of the Rolling Hills Conference. But when you look at the participants in the last two Class 1A state tournaments, the Rolling Hills has been represented by Ankeny Christian (2010) and Adair-Casey (2009). And who made it to state those two years among the 12 Iowa Star teams (two more than the RH’s 10)? No one.
In fact, the Iowa Star has not had a representative at state since Dunkerton made it to state and won the crown in 2004. Since then, the West Central, where EG competed, sent four teams to state: Des Moines Christian in 2007, Guthrie Center in 2008, and both CRB in 1A and DMC in 2A in last year’s field while the Iowa State sent none.
But Colo-Nesco has a solid basketball tradition, having made it to the district finals five of the last seven years. The Royals won the district in 2004 and then lost to Dunkerton in the substate. CN also made it to substate in 2009 and 2008. Last year, the Royals were sidelined in Colo in the semifinal round by Grandview Park Baptist, a team that went on to the district crown but then lost to Ankeny Christian in the substate.
EG’s win over SWG was just the first time since 2003 that the Hawks have advanced past the quarterfinal round. That year, EG beat CRB in Coon Rapids, 53-46, but then fell to Hubbard-Radcliffe, 52-45, in a game also played at Coon Rapids. Hubbard-Radcliffe squeaked by Northeast Hamilton, 47-45, in the district final and then beat East Union (Afton) to win the substate and advance to the state tournament.
Look for CRB to get by Van Meter in the other semifinal round game. CRB and CN both play a hard-nosed brand of defense, much like Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton, a team EG battled with twice in the Rolling Hills this year, with the Spartans winning both games and taking the league crown.
The District 12 finals are on Thursday with the winner advancing to the Substate 6 game in Marshalltown to face the winner of District 11. Semifinal games in that district tonight have North Tama hosting HLV (Victor) and Melcher-Dallas at Lynville-Sully. The winners meet on Thursday at Meskwaki Settlement School near Tama. Lynville-Sully is the No. 6 ranked team in Class 1A.
Hopefully, the Royals will be a little too confident and have their eyes on a possible showdown with North Tama in the substate, thinking they can glide by their upcoming foes from the other side of Interstate 35 on their way to substate.
East Greene’s tuned up for tonight’s semifinal district game against state-ranked Colo-Nesco with a 68-17 romp over Southeast Webster-Grand on Thursday night in a district basketball opening round game in Rippey.
The Hawks dominated the game from start to finish, jumping out to a 27-6 first quarter lead. EG was up 53-10 at the half, and then held SWG scoreless in the third quarter, padding the lead to 62-10.
Zach Dearborn led the Hawk scoring brigade with 16 points. Nic Nicolaisen scored 14 points and snared 8 rebounds with Aaron Lyons also in double figures with 10 points. EG shot a blistering 56% from the field, connecting on 30 of 54 shots while holding the Eagles to just 7 of 34. The Hawks forced SWG into 31 turnovers and had a big edge in rebounding, 32-23.
EG went 3-11 from the 3-point line and hit half of their 10 free throw attempts. SWG was 0-5 on 3-point attempts and 3-12 from the free throw line for 25% accuracy.
SWG closed out the season with a 3-20 mark. EG advances to the semifinal round with an 18-4 record.
The Hawks face a big challenge tonight against in Colo against No. 9-ranked Colo-Nesco (19-2), co-champs of the Iowa Star-South Conference. Colo-Nesco beat Madrid 55-28 in a quarterfinal round game Thursday in Colo. One of CN’s two losses this season came to league co-champ North Tama, 57-51, the No. 10 team in the state. CN beat North Tama earlier in the season, 49-48. Its other loss was to Iowa Star-South conference foe Don Bosco (Gilbertville), 52-29, which was avenged later in the season with a 50-48 win.
CN has also handed Northeast Hamilton (20-2), winners of the Iowa Star-North crown, with just one of its two losses of the season.
The Royals are lead by 6-1 senior forward Brandon Eley, who averages 20 points and 11 rebounds a game. Against Madrid, Eley dropped in 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
Should the Hawks get by Colo-Nesco they would face either Van Meter (5-17), a surprise winner over Ankeny Christian Academy, 48-45, or Coon Rapids-Bayard (14-6), which advanced with a 35-27 win over Glidden-Ralston. Those two teams square off tonight in Coon Rapids. The district finals are Thursday in Story City.
CRB, which was one of the eight teams in the 1A state tourney field last year, is peaking at the right time as the Crusaders won their sixth straight game at Glidden.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: On paper, it looks like Colo-Nesco is the hands-down favorite. The Royals appear to have everything in their favor—home-court advantage, a lofty state ranking, and a conference championship under their belt. But all those positives could work in East Greene’s favor as the Royals could easily dismiss the Hawks and ignore their 19 wins as mostly against inferior teams of the Rolling Hills Conference. But when you look at the participants in the last two Class 1A state tournaments, the Rolling Hills has been represented by Ankeny Christian (2010) and Adair-Casey (2009). And who made it to state those two years among the 12 Iowa Star teams (two more than the RH’s 10)? No one.
In fact, the Iowa Star has not had a representative at state since Dunkerton made it to state and won the crown in 2004. Since then, the West Central, where EG competed, sent four teams to state: Des Moines Christian in 2007, Guthrie Center in 2008, and both CRB in 1A and DMC in 2A in last year’s field while the Iowa State sent none.
But Colo-Nesco has a solid basketball tradition, having made it to the district finals five of the last seven years. The Royals won the district in 2004 and then lost to Dunkerton in the substate. CN also made it to substate in 2009 and 2008. Last year, the Royals were sidelined in Colo in the semifinal round by Grandview Park Baptist, a team that went on to the district crown but then lost to Ankeny Christian in the substate.
EG’s win over SWG was just the first time since 2003 that the Hawks have advanced past the quarterfinal round. That year, EG beat CRB in Coon Rapids, 53-46, but then fell to Hubbard-Radcliffe, 52-45, in a game also played at Coon Rapids. Hubbard-Radcliffe squeaked by Northeast Hamilton, 47-45, in the district final and then beat East Union (Afton) to win the substate and advance to the state tournament.
Look for CRB to get by Van Meter in the other semifinal round game. CRB and CN both play a hard-nosed brand of defense, much like Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton, a team EG battled with twice in the Rolling Hills this year, with the Spartans winning both games and taking the league crown.
The District 12 finals are on Thursday with the winner advancing to the Substate 6 game in Marshalltown to face the winner of District 11. Semifinal games in that district tonight have North Tama hosting HLV (Victor) and Melcher-Dallas at Lynville-Sully. The winners meet on Thursday at Meskwaki Settlement School near Tama. Lynville-Sully is the No. 6 ranked team in Class 1A.
Hopefully, the Royals will be a little too confident and have their eyes on a possible showdown with North Tama in the substate, thinking they can glide by their upcoming foes from the other side of Interstate 35 on their way to substate.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tourney Trail Begins Thursday in Rippey
HAWKS OPEN AGAINST SWG IN QUARTERFINALS
So far, the ride has been pretty sweet for the East Greene Hawk cagers. Fresh off a runner-up finish in its inaugural year in the Rolling Hills Conference, EG heads into post-season tournament action on Thursday with a 17-4 record.
The Hawks earned the No. 3 seed among nine teams assigned to District 12 and will get the home court advantage in a quarterfinal round tilt against Southeast Webster-Grand, a team EG beat 78-23 in the second game of the season back in early December.
District 12 action got underway Monday night with Madrid (5-17) beating Paton-Churdan, 52-22, in the opening round, or “play-in” game matching up the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in District 12. Madrid now moves on to face top-seeded Colo-Nesco (18-2) on Thursday in Colo. Other quarterfinal matchups in District 12 are Van Meter at Ankeny Christian Academy, the No. 2 seed, and Coon Rapids-Bayard at Glidden-Ralston.
Thursday’s quarterfinal round winners face off in the semifinals next Tuesday, Feb. 22 at sites yet to be determined.
East Greene heads into district action with its offense working in high gear. The Hawks bounced back nicely from a disappointing loss to Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton, 57-46, in Elk Horn on Feb. 4 with big wins in Rippey over Iowa Christian Academy, 70-51, on Tuesday, Feb. 8, and non-conference foe Madrid, 73-60, on Friday, Feb. 11. The Hawks have scored 70 or more points in three of their last four games.
Nic Nicolaisen, 6-5 senior center, has been on fire lately, averaging 19.8 points and 10 rebounds in the last four games. EG has a solid arsenal of quality guards who are good shooters, ball handlers and defenders. The Hawks have a deep roster and regularly play as many as 8 players throughout a game.
The runner-up league finish and 17 total wins is the best showing for East Greene in boys basketball since the early 1980s when the Hawks were a state power—winning the Central Valley Conference three years in a row and advancing to the state tournament in 1982. The following year, EG was ranked as high as No. 2 in the state and was beaten by Glidden-Ralston, also highly ranked and a Central Valley rival, in the sectional finals. GR was beaten in districts that year, but came back in 1984 and advanced to state.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: East Greene will certainly be force to be reckoned with in District 12, but the competition is fierce. EG is a heavy favorite against Southeast Webster-Grand (3-19), a team that finished last in the Twin Lakes Conference at 0-10. But it should be noted that SWG’s 5 league opponents are all 2A teams: Prairie Valley (Gowrie), South Central Calhoun (Rockwell City), East Sac (Lake View) and Manson-Northwest Webster. However, two of SWG’s wins game against Twin River Valley (Bode), a team that went 1-22. And the team that TRV beat, North Sentral Kossuth (Swea City), got the measure of them in a rematch on Monday in an 8-9 seed district matchup in northern Iowa, and that was just North Kossuth’s second win of the year.
However, just past the SWG game looms a major challenge: Colo-Nesco, the co-champion of the highly competitive Iowa Star-South conference and the No. 9-ranked team in the state. Colo-Nesco tied with North Tama (Traer) for the league crown and North Tama is also ranked this week in 1A by Associated Press, getting the No. 10 spot. The Iowa Star has 12 teams—all in 1A—divided into two divisions—north and south. Northeast Hamilton (Blairsburg) won the IS-North crown with a 14-2 mark, the same league mark for both CN and North Tama, which finished just ahead of Don Bosco (Gilbertville) at 12-3. Throughout the season, each of these four teams—NEH, CN, North Tama and Don Bosco—have been ranked in the Associated Press at one time or another this season.
The opposite side of the bracket in District 12 is wide open. Quarterfinal games on Thursday have Van Meter at Ankeny Christian Academy and Coon Rapids-Bayard at Glidden-Ralston. Interestingly, Ankeny Christian and CRB were two of the eight teams that made up the 1A state tourney field last year. Teams are grouped geographically—and then seeded by their records in the fifth through 15th games (11 total)—so it was by fate and geography these two ended up on the same side of the same district when last year they were in completely different substates.
Ankeny Christian, last year’s Rolling Hills champion, finished fourth in the league this year behind EEHK, EG and Orient-Macksburg with a 12-6 mark. The Eagles (14-8) face a team in Van Meter (4-17) that finished in a tie for seventh (3-13) with Madrid in the West Central Conference. ACA is coming off a near upset of West Central champion Des Moines Christian—an 88-85 win for the Lions in Ankeny in Friday night, so look for ACA to get by Van Meter and move on to the semifinal round.
The GR-CRB matchup looks to be one of the more interesting games. GR got the No. 4 seed—and home court advantage—for an early season match up of these longtime rivals and neighboring school districts. CRB (13-6) won a close game over the Wildcats (10-10) in the season opener, 52-48, in Coon Rapids. CRB is on a five-game winning streak, including two big wins over Woodward-Granger, a non-conference victory against Boyer Valley, and a big triumph against Guthrie Center, 51-45, that vaulted the Crusaders into a third place in the tough 1A-2A West Central Conference. CRB is tournament tested team with appearances at state in 2010, but GR will be about to avenge the four-point loss from December and to move on to possibly face a team (Ankeny Christian) that it thumped 70-41 in the regular season.
Since it has the highest seed of the four teams in the lower half of the bracket, Ankeny Christian is guaranteed the home court advantage against either CRB or GR. The most likely scenario is ACA hosting CRB in the semis on Monday, Feb. 22, with CRB moving on to the championship game against EG or CN. The final is slated for Friday, Feb. 25, at the Roland-Story gym in Story City which is midway between Colo and the teams on the other side of the bracket. Should EG prevail look for that venue to be changed to a spot midway between Grand Junction and Ankeny (Ogden, Boone or Perry) or between GJ and Carroll County (Jefferson if GR advances to the final; Guthrie Center if CRB makes the title game). Both Ogden and Jefferson-Scranton boys and girls teams have been eliminated so both gyms (and school officials) will be available to host a tournament final.
UPDATE ON GIRLS TOURNEY: Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton is the only Rolling Hills girls team still on the tourney trail after the first two rounds. EHKE beat league foe CAM (Anita) last night in Anita, 44-42, to advance to the semifinal round against Sidney at Red Oak.
Coon Rapids-Bayard, the team that sidelined East Greene in first-round game last Thursday, upset No. 15 Adair-Casey in Adair on Saturday night, 43-32, to advance to the quarterfinals against Guthrie Center in Adair last night. CRB prevailed again, 45-39, having beaten Guthrie twice during the regular season. The Crusaders (14-9) move on to face top-ranked Martensdale-St. Mary’s in a semifinal game on Friday at the new West Central Valley High School gym in Stuart. Game time is 7 p.m.
Martensdale-St. Mary’s (21-2) advanced with a 79-28 drubbing of Ankeny Christian, the only other Rolling Hills team to make it to the quarterfinal round. Ankeny Christian bows out with its best record in its short school history, 14-10.
The winners from the semifinal games at Red Oak and Stuart meeting in the regional final at Atlantic on Monday.
Here is a look at how the Rolling Hills played out at the end of the season:
ROLLING HILLS CONFERENCE 2011 FINAL STANDINGS
Boys Basketball
Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 17-1
East Greene 15-3
Orient-Macksburg 14-4
Ankeny Christian 12-6
Glidden-Ralston 10-8
CAM 8-10
Iowa Christian 5-13
Walnut 4-14
Adair-Casey 4-14
Paton-Churdan 1-17
Girls Basketball
Adair-Casey 16-2
CAM 15-3
Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 15-3
Iowa Christian 13-5
Ankeny Christian 10-8
Orient-Macksburg 8-10
East Greene 5-13
Glidden-Ralston 4-14
Walnut 4-14
Paton-Churdan 0-18
So far, the ride has been pretty sweet for the East Greene Hawk cagers. Fresh off a runner-up finish in its inaugural year in the Rolling Hills Conference, EG heads into post-season tournament action on Thursday with a 17-4 record.
The Hawks earned the No. 3 seed among nine teams assigned to District 12 and will get the home court advantage in a quarterfinal round tilt against Southeast Webster-Grand, a team EG beat 78-23 in the second game of the season back in early December.
District 12 action got underway Monday night with Madrid (5-17) beating Paton-Churdan, 52-22, in the opening round, or “play-in” game matching up the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in District 12. Madrid now moves on to face top-seeded Colo-Nesco (18-2) on Thursday in Colo. Other quarterfinal matchups in District 12 are Van Meter at Ankeny Christian Academy, the No. 2 seed, and Coon Rapids-Bayard at Glidden-Ralston.
Thursday’s quarterfinal round winners face off in the semifinals next Tuesday, Feb. 22 at sites yet to be determined.
East Greene heads into district action with its offense working in high gear. The Hawks bounced back nicely from a disappointing loss to Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton, 57-46, in Elk Horn on Feb. 4 with big wins in Rippey over Iowa Christian Academy, 70-51, on Tuesday, Feb. 8, and non-conference foe Madrid, 73-60, on Friday, Feb. 11. The Hawks have scored 70 or more points in three of their last four games.
Nic Nicolaisen, 6-5 senior center, has been on fire lately, averaging 19.8 points and 10 rebounds in the last four games. EG has a solid arsenal of quality guards who are good shooters, ball handlers and defenders. The Hawks have a deep roster and regularly play as many as 8 players throughout a game.
The runner-up league finish and 17 total wins is the best showing for East Greene in boys basketball since the early 1980s when the Hawks were a state power—winning the Central Valley Conference three years in a row and advancing to the state tournament in 1982. The following year, EG was ranked as high as No. 2 in the state and was beaten by Glidden-Ralston, also highly ranked and a Central Valley rival, in the sectional finals. GR was beaten in districts that year, but came back in 1984 and advanced to state.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: East Greene will certainly be force to be reckoned with in District 12, but the competition is fierce. EG is a heavy favorite against Southeast Webster-Grand (3-19), a team that finished last in the Twin Lakes Conference at 0-10. But it should be noted that SWG’s 5 league opponents are all 2A teams: Prairie Valley (Gowrie), South Central Calhoun (Rockwell City), East Sac (Lake View) and Manson-Northwest Webster. However, two of SWG’s wins game against Twin River Valley (Bode), a team that went 1-22. And the team that TRV beat, North Sentral Kossuth (Swea City), got the measure of them in a rematch on Monday in an 8-9 seed district matchup in northern Iowa, and that was just North Kossuth’s second win of the year.
However, just past the SWG game looms a major challenge: Colo-Nesco, the co-champion of the highly competitive Iowa Star-South conference and the No. 9-ranked team in the state. Colo-Nesco tied with North Tama (Traer) for the league crown and North Tama is also ranked this week in 1A by Associated Press, getting the No. 10 spot. The Iowa Star has 12 teams—all in 1A—divided into two divisions—north and south. Northeast Hamilton (Blairsburg) won the IS-North crown with a 14-2 mark, the same league mark for both CN and North Tama, which finished just ahead of Don Bosco (Gilbertville) at 12-3. Throughout the season, each of these four teams—NEH, CN, North Tama and Don Bosco—have been ranked in the Associated Press at one time or another this season.
The opposite side of the bracket in District 12 is wide open. Quarterfinal games on Thursday have Van Meter at Ankeny Christian Academy and Coon Rapids-Bayard at Glidden-Ralston. Interestingly, Ankeny Christian and CRB were two of the eight teams that made up the 1A state tourney field last year. Teams are grouped geographically—and then seeded by their records in the fifth through 15th games (11 total)—so it was by fate and geography these two ended up on the same side of the same district when last year they were in completely different substates.
Ankeny Christian, last year’s Rolling Hills champion, finished fourth in the league this year behind EEHK, EG and Orient-Macksburg with a 12-6 mark. The Eagles (14-8) face a team in Van Meter (4-17) that finished in a tie for seventh (3-13) with Madrid in the West Central Conference. ACA is coming off a near upset of West Central champion Des Moines Christian—an 88-85 win for the Lions in Ankeny in Friday night, so look for ACA to get by Van Meter and move on to the semifinal round.
The GR-CRB matchup looks to be one of the more interesting games. GR got the No. 4 seed—and home court advantage—for an early season match up of these longtime rivals and neighboring school districts. CRB (13-6) won a close game over the Wildcats (10-10) in the season opener, 52-48, in Coon Rapids. CRB is on a five-game winning streak, including two big wins over Woodward-Granger, a non-conference victory against Boyer Valley, and a big triumph against Guthrie Center, 51-45, that vaulted the Crusaders into a third place in the tough 1A-2A West Central Conference. CRB is tournament tested team with appearances at state in 2010, but GR will be about to avenge the four-point loss from December and to move on to possibly face a team (Ankeny Christian) that it thumped 70-41 in the regular season.
Since it has the highest seed of the four teams in the lower half of the bracket, Ankeny Christian is guaranteed the home court advantage against either CRB or GR. The most likely scenario is ACA hosting CRB in the semis on Monday, Feb. 22, with CRB moving on to the championship game against EG or CN. The final is slated for Friday, Feb. 25, at the Roland-Story gym in Story City which is midway between Colo and the teams on the other side of the bracket. Should EG prevail look for that venue to be changed to a spot midway between Grand Junction and Ankeny (Ogden, Boone or Perry) or between GJ and Carroll County (Jefferson if GR advances to the final; Guthrie Center if CRB makes the title game). Both Ogden and Jefferson-Scranton boys and girls teams have been eliminated so both gyms (and school officials) will be available to host a tournament final.
UPDATE ON GIRLS TOURNEY: Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton is the only Rolling Hills girls team still on the tourney trail after the first two rounds. EHKE beat league foe CAM (Anita) last night in Anita, 44-42, to advance to the semifinal round against Sidney at Red Oak.
Coon Rapids-Bayard, the team that sidelined East Greene in first-round game last Thursday, upset No. 15 Adair-Casey in Adair on Saturday night, 43-32, to advance to the quarterfinals against Guthrie Center in Adair last night. CRB prevailed again, 45-39, having beaten Guthrie twice during the regular season. The Crusaders (14-9) move on to face top-ranked Martensdale-St. Mary’s in a semifinal game on Friday at the new West Central Valley High School gym in Stuart. Game time is 7 p.m.
Martensdale-St. Mary’s (21-2) advanced with a 79-28 drubbing of Ankeny Christian, the only other Rolling Hills team to make it to the quarterfinal round. Ankeny Christian bows out with its best record in its short school history, 14-10.
The winners from the semifinal games at Red Oak and Stuart meeting in the regional final at Atlantic on Monday.
Here is a look at how the Rolling Hills played out at the end of the season:
ROLLING HILLS CONFERENCE 2011 FINAL STANDINGS
Boys Basketball
Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 17-1
East Greene 15-3
Orient-Macksburg 14-4
Ankeny Christian 12-6
Glidden-Ralston 10-8
CAM 8-10
Iowa Christian 5-13
Walnut 4-14
Adair-Casey 4-14
Paton-Churdan 1-17
Girls Basketball
Adair-Casey 16-2
CAM 15-3
Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 15-3
Iowa Christian 13-5
Ankeny Christian 10-8
Orient-Macksburg 8-10
East Greene 5-13
Glidden-Ralston 4-14
Walnut 4-14
Paton-Churdan 0-18
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
