WACO whips past Keota

Postseason basketball got under way across the state of Iowa on Thursday night, and that means everything is put on the line.

WACO?s girls? basketball team fought off nerves as the Class 1A regional tournament began, and put together a strong performance in the first round, defeating Keota 46-19 to earn a spot in the regional quarterfinals.

?Before the game, I thought they were ready to pee their pants,? WACO girls? basketball head coach Shannon Rugg said. ?All of them were so nervous, but I said, ?We?ve played 22 games. Just relax.? Our goal was to win tonight and we?ve been getting better each game. It?s satisfying to see us playing this well right now.?

Both offenses were moving slowly in the first half, with a combined 13 points being scored in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, WACO went on an 11-3 run, before Keota hit a pair of 3-pointers to cut the lead to nine going into the break.

After halftime, WACO turned it on, going on an 18-3 run, and outscoring the Eagles 24-6 the rest of the way.

WACO (8-15) was led by junior Halle Kissell, who put in a team-high 14 points in the contest, while Kianna Miller put in nine points of her own.

?That?s how we?ve been practicing for the last month,? Rugg said. ?We finally got it translated to a game. They?ve done everything we?ve asked them to do. As a team, we?ve gotten better all year. Our system hasn?t changed and they are buying in.?

Keota (1-21) was led by Grace Shemanski?s seven points, as the Eagles saw their season end.

With the win, WACO advances to face the No. 1 team in Class 1A, Burlington Notre Dame.

The Warriors know they will have a tall order when Tuesday?s game rolls around, but Rugg said he is only focused on his team, and the attitude they bring to the court that night.

?They score a lot of points and they are going to full-court press us the whole game,? Rugg said. ?You have to be ready for that. We need to change a few things against them, because we don?t face something like them the whole year. We aren?t going to go down there and worry about the score. We are going to show up and compete.?

The contest will take place at 7 p.m. on Notre Dame?s home court.