New London rolls to District 10 final

NEW LONDON — New London entered Friday’s Class 1A Substate 5 Quarterfinal against Iowa Valley as not just the top team in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference, but as one of the top teams in Class 1A.

The Tigers of New London proved themselves once again, thrashing the South Iowa Cedar East leaders 78-52.

New London’s stars have been dominant all season and they didn’t disappoint in this contest. Kade Benjamin had the hot hand this time around. The junior forward couldn’t be stopped on the block, finishing the evening with a game-high 25 points.

It was all New London in the first half. Between Iowa Valley’s leisurely fast break defense, a stout inside game, and a Devin Swanson three at the buzzer, New London held a 24-12 lead after the first.

“We just try to spread zone defenses out and get it to our bigs,” New London head coach Bryant Porter said. “When they finish, we are successful and usually win the game. It puts them into a position to rebound, too. We felt like they left their 2-3 defense a little high, and we were able to take advantage of it.”

The Tigers of New London didn’t let up in the second quarter. New London outscored Iowa Valley 22-13, building up a 46-27 lead at the break. Benjamin led the first half charge, tallying 18 of his 25 points in the first half.

“The plan was to get it to the short corner and play out of the corner,” Benjamin said. “When we watched film, they played pretty high so we knew we could look for passes or drives inside.”

Iowa Valley wouldn’t go down without a fight though, as the Tigers in Orange came out of the locker room with a vengeance. Iowa Valley clawed its way back, cutting New London’s lead to 10, 50-40, with a 13-4 spurt to begin the third.

New London never wavered. Iowa Valley would bring the game within 10 on two additional occasions, but an 11-0 Tiger run beginning late in the third and running into the fourth would be all she wrote. Iowa Valley would end up taking the third 19-15, but it wouldn’t make a difference.

New London limited Iowa Valley to just six points in the fourth quarter, while dropping in 17 of its own to cap off the quarterfinal victory.

Along with Benjamin’s 25 points. Devin Swanson was all over the offensive boards in the contest, finishing with 18 points. Blaise Porter and Kooper Schulte each added 14 a piece. Camden Kasel chipped in seven.

The Tigers move on to the 1A Substate 5 Semifinals against WACO, a team they’re very familiar with. The Tigers split with the Warriors during the regular season. The game will be played at Mediapolis on Tuesday.

“That’s a revenge game,” Benjamin said. “I didn’t get to play in that game (the second meeting loss). I was able to still feel the loss. We didn’t like that feeling and we all remember that.”