Three-pointers lift Wildcats to State

     Maquoketa Valley is headed to the State Girls Basketball Tournament.

     The Wildcats made six baskets from three-point range in the first 12 minutes of play to build a 22-9 lead, then made enough second half shots to hold on for a 43-37 win over Dyersville Beckman in a Class 2A regional final game played Wednesday, Feb. 24 at West Delaware High School in Manchester.

     MV was a torrid 7-for-14 from three-point range, and shot 53.1 percent from the field for the game (17-for-32). Beckman did force 21 Wildcat turnovers, but never brought the deficit below seven points until a three-point basket by Lauren Osterhaus with 4.2 seconds left ended the scoring.

     It will be the first trip to State for the Wildcats since 2013.

     “I am so happy for our kids,” Maquoketa Valley coach Scot Moenck said. “They have worked very hard to get to this point. They have gone through a lot over the years, and to see all the smiles on their faces truly meant the world to me.”

     Beckman’s only lead of the game came with 6:28 left in the first quarter, when a three-pointer by Lil McDermott put the Trailblazers ahead 5-4.

     The barrage of threes began after that. Taya Tucker sank two in a row, and Ella Imler hit another three-pointer as the Wildcats built a 13-9 lead by the end of the first quarter.

     Kennedy Rausch then opened the second quarter with three consecutive threes, putting MV ahead 22-19 midway through the period.

     “Taya really got us off to a great start, and Kennedy did what Kennedy has been doing all year; knocking down open threes,” Moenck said. “We were really good at being patient to start the game. We got the ball moving from side to side and did a very good job of finding the open girl for good looks.”

     The Wildcats held Beckman scoreless in the second quarter as the lead ballooned to 26-9.

     The Blazers battled back in the third quarter, outscoring MV 14-7, including a pair of threes by Kennedy Arens.

     But the Wildcats still led by 10, and although the Blazers got as close as seven in the final minute, they couldn’t catch MV.

     “We hit some shots in the fourth quarter,” the coach said, “got some stops on defense and got out of there with a ‘W.’ ”

     Tucker finished with 16 points, Rausch finished with nine, and Imler had seven points and seven assists.

     The Wildcats, now 23-0, earned the top seed for the state tournament and were scheduled to play No. 8 Rock Valley (16-9) in a quarterfinal game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Tuesday evening, March 2, after this paper went to press.

     The winner will play in a semifinal game March 5 at 10 a.m. The 2A championship game is Saturday, March 6 at 4 p.m.

Feb. 24

D. Beck.   9    0 14 14 – 37

Maq. V.  13 13   7 10 – 43

     DYERSVILLE BECKMAN (37) – Lauren Osterhaus 3-7 1-1 8, Lil McDermott 4-10 0-0 10, Shelby Pirc 1-4 0-0 2, Keeley Schmitt 1-3 1-1 3, Kennedy Arens 4-8 2-2 12, Jenna Lansing 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 14-34 4-6 37.

     MONTICELLO (43) – Kennedy Rausch 3-5 0-0 9, Carissa Sabers 2-5 0-0 5, Ella Imler 2-5 2-3 7, Taya Tucker 7-8 0-1 16, Emerson Whittenbaugh 2-6 0-2 4, Kylie Chesnut 1-3 0-1 2.

     Three-pointers – McDermott 2, Arens 2, Osterhaus; Rausch 3, Tucker 2, Sabers, Imler.

     Rebounds – Maquoketa Valley 21 (Imler 5, Tucker 5), Beckman 17.

     Assists – Maquoketa Valley 14 (Imler 7, Whittenbaugh 5), Beckman 9.

     Steals – Beckman 9, Maquoketa Valley 4 (Chesnut 2).

     Blocks – Beckman 3, Maquoketa Valley 1 (Whittenbaugh 1).

     Total fouls – Beckman 15, Maquoketa Valley 10.

     Turnovers – Maquoketa Valley 21, Beckman 12.