Area girls hoops: Pekin, VBC knocked out of playoffs

The Pekin and Van Buren County girls basketball teams faced tough tests in their respective playoff matchups. The Panthers took on the No. 6 ranked team in Class 1A, Dunkerton, while the Warriors battled against No. 8 ranked 2A team, Regina Catholic.

Pekin was defeated 73-35 by the top seed in the 1A-6 region. Dunkerton poured it on in the openin two halves, outscoring Pekin 52-16, including a 30-point second quarter.

The Panthers wrapped up the season with an 11-12 mark, including a 9-7 record in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North, where it finished fifth. Pekin won its first playoff game 51-43 over WACO.

VBC wrapped up the season with a 73-22 loss to Regina in the 2A-8 bracket. The Warriors couldn’t contain the Regals, who shot an impressive 50% from the field and 41.2% from 3-point range. Regina also wasted no time getting going, outscoring VBC 29-8 in the first quarter and 24-7 in the second.

Adalyn Snowgren scored 11 points to lead the Warriors. Marlee Mertens tallied four points, while Aubrey Loeffler and Sophia Jirak each scored three.

The loss sees VBC’s season end at 15-8. The Warriors finished tied for third place in the SEISC South with a 9-5 conference record. Snowgren wrapped up an impressive freshman campaign where she finished fourth in the conference in scoring at 13.6 points per game.