(Cherokee) Cherokee-Washington’s balanced inside-outside attack and relentless defense powered them to a 54-33 victory over Atlantic in a Class 3A Regional final on Saturday night in Cherokee.
Braves point guard Addy Wolfswinkel led the charge with 19 points, while 6’1” sophomore post Deidre Doeden dominated the paint with 18. Atlantic’s Katrina Williams paced her team with 13 points, followed by Paytn Harter with 8. Peyton McLaren and Lila Wiederstein added 4 each, while Jillian Saathoff and Zoey Kirchhoff chipped in 2 apiece.
Williams opened the game with a quick basket to give the Trojans an early 2-0 lead, but Cherokee responded with a 6-0 run and never looked back. The Braves’ aggressive full-court man-to-man press disrupted Atlantic’s offensive rhythm throughout the night. Williams’ nine first-half points kept the Trojans within reach, but Doeden countered with 10 of her own. McKenna Benson and Kayden Volkert drained key three-pointers to extend Cherokee’s lead to 30-19 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Addy Wolfswinkel knocked down two three-pointers, and Laney Wolfswinkel added another, helping the Braves stretch their advantage to 49-27 heading into the final period. The game slowed down in the final stanza eventually settling out at 54-33.
Cherokee-Washington heads to the Class 3A State Tournament with a 21-3 record. The Braves enter as the No. 4 seed and will face No. 5 seed Estherville-Lincoln Central on March 3 at 6:45 p.m.
Atlantic’s season concludes just one game short of a state tournament berth, finishing with an impressive 18-7 record. Their appearance in the regional final marked the program’s first since the 2003-2004 season. The Trojans posted a 7-3 record in the Hawkeye Ten.
Senior Paytn Harter set school records in both scoring and rebounding, capping off a historic career. Atlantic Head Coach Dan Vargason praised his two seniors, Harter and Mckenna Sonntag, for their leadership. Looking ahead, Vargason is optimistic about the future, with a strong returning core and promising newcomers set to contribute.
Coach Vargason’s interview is posted below.
