State recap: 5 champs crowned

DES MOINES - They defended. They rebounded. They executed.

Maquoketa Valley did everything, but finish.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Taylor Kvale ignited a 16-2 run, and second-ranked Dike-New Hartford rallied from an 11-point deficit to break the No. 1 Wildcats hearts, 47-42, in the Class 2A girls basketball state championship game Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Class 2A

Dike-New Hartford snared 21 offensive rebounds, scored 19 second-chance (which included some third- and fourth-chance) points and eliminated River Valley Conference member West Branch, 57-47, Friday.

Rylan Druecker's 3-pointer closed West Branch to within 39-38 with 7 minutes, 43 seconds remaining, but a 50-22 rebounding edge for Dike-New Hartford was the definitive statistic of the game. West Branch, ranked third, advanced to the semifinals with a 49-33 win over Grundy Center.

Class 4A

In the first round, Central DeWitt, which eliminated Washington, lost 59-45 to North Scott, which eliminated Fairfield. North Scott lost the semifinal to No. 1 Glenwood 61-44.

In the final, No. 2 Ballard led 15-6 when Glenwood scored 19 of the next 25 for a 25-21 lead at the half, then led 36-27 starting the fourth quarter. A 3-pointer tied the contest at 43 with 2:24 remaining. With 36 seconds, Ballard (24-1) took its first lead of the second half with Josie Fleischmann's fifth 3-pointer, and held on for a 47-45 victory and a state championship.

Class 1A

Friday a tenacious and relentless second-ranked Newell-Fonda ran South Iowa Cedar League's No. 6 Montezuma ragged for a 73-34 semifinal victory.

Montezuma, which is 88-11 in head coach Janel Burgess' four years, with four state appearances, won its state opener 50-45 over St. Ansgar.

Newell-Fonda won the state title with a 66-52 score over No. 1 Bishop Garrigan.

Class 3A

West Lyon, which defeated Southeast Iowa Super Conference member West Burlington in the state quarterfinal, 52-30, and beat No. 1 Cherokee in the semis, led 23-18 at halftime of the final, but scored eight points in the second half as Unity Christian rung up 30 for a 48-31 title game triumph.

Class 5A

No. 1 Waukee, playing in just its 12th, 13th and 14th games of the season, cruised to the title with wins of 23 points against Dowling in the opener, then 21 against Ankeny Centennial and 28 against No. 2 Johnston to capture the championship.