Friday, March 6
Semifinals
Class 2A
#1 Hinton 57 #4 Denver, 48
DES MOINES, Iowa — Defending champion Hinton advanced to the Class 2A title game with a 58–47 win over Denver on Friday. The Blackhawks took an early 6–0 lead and maintained control throughout the game. Hinton (22–1) earned its 20th straight victory and will play for a second consecutive championship Saturday. Denver finished a strong season at 23–3. Hinton shot 55% overall, including 77% in the first quarter to build a 23–14 lead. Sydney Doeschot led the Blackhawks with 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Raelyn Kempema added 15 points, and Addison Glass scored 12, including 10 in the first quarter. For Denver, Channing Johnson scored 12 points, while Lexi Bentham added 11 off the bench and Grace Mullihan had eight points and nine rebounds. Denver cut the lead to eight late in the game, but Hinton held on to secure the win and a chance at another state title.
11:45 am: #2 Rock Valley 57 #6 Treynor, 54
DES MOINES, Iowa — Rock Valley rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Treynor 57–54 and advance to the Class 2A championship game for the first time since 2003. Trailing 42–28 early in the third quarter and 54–48 with under three minutes left, the Rockets scored the game’s final nine points to secure the win. Sophomore Caydence Harmsen led Rock Valley with 17 points, while Hudsyn Ranschau added 13 and Haevyn Ranschau had 12 points and seven rebounds. Eva Remmerde scored 10 key points off the bench, and Ciana Zomer grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked Treynor’s final shot. Rock Valley (24–2), the No. 2 seed, will face No. 1 seed and defending champion Hinton (22–1) in the championship game Saturday at 4:45 p.m. Hinton advanced with a 57–48 win over Denver. Treynor (22–3) was led by Ella Thornton with 15 points, while Nora Konz, Addison Mauer and Stella Sornson each added 12. The Cardinals made 13 three-pointers but missed their final four shots as Rock Valley closed the game.
Class 1A
1:30 pm: #1 Bishop Garrigan, Algona 49 Dunkerton, 38
DES MOINES, Iowa — Algona Bishop Garrigan held off a late rally from Dunkerton to earn a 49-38 semifinal win and advance to the Class 1A state championship game. The Golden Bears (24-2) led by 20 early in the fourth quarter, but Dunkerton mounted a 15-2 run with three 3-pointers to cut the lead to 45-38 with 1:20 remaining. The Raiders had two chances from beyond the arc to get closer but missed, and Garrigan sealed the win with four late free throws. Emmi Bartolo led Garrigan with 17 points, while Madelyn Tigges added 14 on 7-of-11 shooting. Graclyn Eastman finished with five points and 14 rebounds. Hailey Kipp paced Dunkerton (23-3) with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Garrigan closed the first quarter on a 12-0 run to take a 14-5 lead and later built a 41-21 advantage in the third quarter. The Golden Bears will play for their third Class 1A title Saturday night.
3:15 pm: #2 Newell Fonda 50 #3 St. Albert, Council Bluffs, 45
DES MOINES, Iowa — Newell-Fonda Mustangs will face Algona Bishop Garrigan Golden Bears for the Class 1A state championship Saturday at 7 p.m. after both teams won semifinal games. Newell-Fonda rallied past defending champion Council Bluffs St. Albert Saintes 50–45. St. Albert opened with a 12–0 run, but the Mustangs answered with 17 straight points before trailing 30–26 at halftime. The second half featured six lead changes before freshman Quinn Sievers hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:49 left to make it 46–44. Sievers later grabbed key rebounds and made two free throws to help seal the win. She finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Ellie Sievers added 11 points. Avah Underwood led St. Albert with 16 points and 10 rebounds.Newell-Fonda (24–2) advanced to the state championship for the fourth straight season and the 11th time in the past 14 years. In the other semifinal, Algona Bishop Garrigan Golden Bears defeated Dunkerton Raiders 49–38. Saturday’s title game will mark the fourth championship matchup between Newell-Fonda and Bishop Garrigan in the past eight years. Newell-Fonda won in 2020 and 2022, while Garrigan took the title in 2023.
Finals
Class 5A
6:00 pm: #1 Johnston 51 #3 Waukee Northwest, 37
DES MOINES, Iowa — Johnston Dragons defeated Ankeny Hawks 49–39 in the Class 5A semifinals to reach the state championship game for the seventh straight year. Johnston (26–0) extended its winning streak to 78 games and will play for a third consecutive state title Friday night. The Dragons also tied the fifth-longest state tournament winning streak with eight straight victories. Ankeny rallied from a 15–5 deficit to take a 22–20 halftime lead and trailed just 43–39 late before Johnston closed the game on a 6–0 run. A key putback by Arianna Phillips with 2:35 left helped secure the win. Jenica Lewis led Johnston with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Phillips added a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jayla Williams scored 20 points for Ankeny (16–9). Johnston shot 58% in the second half and will now look to add another title to its four state championships.
Class 5A All-Tournament Team
Arianna Phillips, Johnston
Romey Croatt, Waukee Northwest
Jayla Williams, Ankeny
Ellie Muller, Dowling Catholic
Vana Bilic, Waukee Northwest
Jenica Lewis, Johnston (Captain
Class 3A
8:00 pm: #1 Mount Vernon (24-2) v. #2 Maquoketa (23-4)
