5A regional finals include comforts of home

Tony Vis is grateful to be home for his team's biggest game of the season. But he's not crazy about the concept.

'In the sake of fairness of the game, I don't like it,” said Vis, girls' basketball coach at Cedar Rapids Kennedy. 'There are some teams out there - Cedar Falls, Johnston, Pleasant Valley - good teams that have to play on the road in a regional final, and I don't think it's fair.”

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union board of directors voted to award home-court advantage to the top-seeded team for Class 5A regional finals this season.

'The biggest reason, simply, was attendance,” said IGHSAU executive director Mike Dick. 'Play a 5A regional final in the middle, and there's generally a small crowd from both schools. The board wanted to try this out for one year and see if it enhances the crowds.

'If this works, we'll probably do it again next year, and we may do it in 4A also. If it doesn't work, we might go back to neutral sites in all classes.”

Kennedy (15-7) hosts Cedar Falls (16-6) in a 5A game Tuesday. Fifth-ranked Iowa City West (20-2) hosts No. 7 Pleasant Valley (18-4) while No. 10 Iowa City High (15-7) entertains No. 9 Johnston (15-7). No. 8 Linn-Mar (16-7), on the other hand, hits the road for a game at No. 6 Southeast Polk (16-6).

All games are 7 p.m.

Seedings were assigned when the brackets were released Feb. 2, so Kennedy has the higher seed on Cedar Falls and City High on Johnston based upon results prior to that date, though Cedar Falls has a better record than the Cougars, and Johnston is ranked higher than the Little Hawks.

Kennedy hopes to replicate a winning effort against the Tigers - 54-43 on Jan. 23.

'To be successful, we have to execute our half-court game, and our defense has to be locked in,” Vis said. 'We'll change defenses, and hopefully that keeps them off-balance. And we have to be competitive on the boards.”

Linn-Mar is the only area 5A team jumping on a bus Tuesday.

'It will be tough, but I don't think it's as tough going on the road as it would be for a college team,” said Lions Coach Jaime Printy Brandt. 'We went through a losing streak, and with that we lost a chance to host. We'll give this our best shot.”

Class 4A regional finals include a double-header at DeWitt - No. 2 Western Dubuque (22-0) faces No. 10 North Scott (18-4) at 6 p.m., then No. 8 Cedar Rapids Xavier (16-6) meets Davenport North (17-5) at 8.

No. 13 Marion (17-5) takes on No. 5 Waverly-Shell Rock (22-0) at 7 p.m. in Vinton.

TUESDAY'S CLASS 5A REGIONAL-FINAL CAPSULES

No. 8 LINN-MAR (16-7) at No. 6 SOUTHEAST POLK (16-6), Region 5

* Time: 7 p.m.

* Overview: Southeast Polk has morphed into a girls' basketball powerhouse recently, winning the 5A championship in 2013 before finishing second to West Des Moines Dowling last year. The Rams face a Linn-Mar outfit that went from freezing to scalding, seemingly in the blink of an eye. The Lions started 10-1, then lost six in a row, and have answered with six consecutive wins, including a 62-28 trouncing of Cedar Rapids Washington in the regional semifinals. Cedar Rapids Jefferson transfer Amanda Ollinger has become more comfortable in her new home as the season has progressed, and the junior (and Iowa recruit) is averaging 12.2 points in 16 games at Linn-Mar. Olivia Montague adds 9.0 points per game, freshman Kamryn Finley 8.4. All six of Southeast Polk's losses have come against CIML competition. Each of the Rams' top three scorers are juniors, led by Ashton Donels (13.9 ppg).

No. 7 PLEASANT VALLEY (18-4) at No. 5 IOWA CITY WEST (20-2), Region 6

* Time: 7 p.m.

* Overview: Iowa City West didn't make its first state tournament until 2011, and now the Women of Troy are a win away from their fourth trip to Des Moines in five seasons. West was supposed to be vastly improved after a 12-11 campaign last season, and has delivered with a nice mix of veterans and youngsters. Seniors Mikaela Morgan (13.9 ppg) and Dani Craig (11.5) lead the way. Morgan has signed with UNI, Craig with Cal State-Fullerton. The Women of Troy were MVC Mississippi Division champions while Pleasant Valley reigned in the Missisippi Athletic Conference. Watch out for the Spartans next year: there isn't a senior on the roster, and the top scorers - Ellie Spelhaug (12.4 ppg) and Kira Arthofer (12.3) - are freshmen. Both teams won their regional semifinals convincingly; West whipped Muscatine, 54-28, while PV topped Davenport West, 48-35.

No. 9 JOHNSTON (15-7) at No. 10 IOWA CITY HIGH (15-7), Region 7

* Time: 7 p.m.

* Overview: After finishing the regular season ranked No. 1 in 2013 and 2014, City High has rebuilt quite nicely folloing the graduation of last year's Gazette-area player of the year, Haley Lorenzen. The Little Hawks have carried on after a knee injury slowed junior Courtney Joens, capturing a share of the MVC Mississippi Division title (with Cedar Rapids Xavier). Ashley Joens is an athletic freshman that can hurt you inside and out; she averages 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, both team highs. The elder Joens adds 13.7 points per game, Kenya Earl 12.4. Johnston has to be considered one of the favorites in 5A next year, with all of this year's top seven scorers underclassmen. Junior Rachel Hinders averages 16.6 points per game with sophomore Taryn Knuth at 12.5.

CEDAR FALLS (17-5) at CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY (16-6), Region 8

* Time: 7 p.m.

* Overview: Kennedy conquered Cedar Falls, 54-43, at home on Jan. 23. That win sprung the Cougars on a late surge that has resulted in six wins in the last seven games. It also was a key result that gave the Cougars home-court advantage in this game. Kennedy advanced by jumping all over Dubuque Senior early and coasting to a 59-43 regional-semifinal win. The lone returning starter from last year's state-tournament team, Stephanie Botkin paces the Cougars at 15.8 points per game. Lela Sellers, who moved from Minnesota last summer, adds 14.5 ppg and is ranked the 60th-best junior in the country by ESPN. Cedar Falls downed Dubuque Hempstead, 51-39, in the semifinals and seeks its first state trip since 2008. Adrienne Boettger leads the Tigers at 14.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

TUESDAY'S CLASS 4A REGIONAL-FINAL CAPSULES

No. 13 MARION (17-5) vs. No. 5 WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK (22-0), Region 2

* Time & place: 7 p.m., at Vinton

* Overview: Marion turnaround this season has been dramatic, but not entirely shocking. An influx of freshman - Chloe Rice, Mia Laube and Caitlyn Smith are now entrenched in the starting lineup - have teamed with veterans Amanda Sahm and Michalyn Mohr to create an instant winner after last year's 6-16 campaign. Four players average at least 9 points per game, led by Rice's 12.0. Another win would put Marion into the state tournament for the first time since 2010, but the task won't be easy. WSR allows a thin 33.1 points per game and trampled Charles City, 55-34, in the regional semifinals. The Go-Hawks captured the Northeast Iowa Conference title for the fifth consecutive year. Like Marion, WSR is a balanced crew; nobody averages in double-figures for the Go-Hawks, but all five starters average at least 7 points a game. Katie Harken leads at 9.8 ppg.

No. 2 WESTERN DUBUQUE (22-0) vs. No. 10 NORTH SCOTT (18-4), Region 3

* Time & place: 6 p.m., at DeWitt

* Overview: Both of these teams reached last year's state tournament, but only one will return. Western Dubuque advanced to the 4A state final (it fell to Harlan in the championship game, 55-51), and has dominated this year behind a suffocating defense that allows just 31.6 points per game. The Bobcats were forced to the wire in Saturday's regional semifinal before escaping Dubuque Wahlert, 36-33. Rose Simon-Ressler (13.2 points per game) and Megan Maahs (13.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg) are the key cogs. North Scott has won six straight games after a three-game mini-slump, and the current run includes an impressive 62-47 triumph over No. 15 Davenport Assumption in the regional semifinals. Sophomore Karli Rucker leads the Lancers at 15.0 points per game.

No. 8 CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER (16-6) vs. DAVENPORT NORTH (17-5), Region 4

* Time & place: 8 p.m., at DeWitt

* Overview: It's an odd-numbered year, which means Xavier is capable of anything. The Saints claimed state championships in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2013, and the Saints are in fine form right now. They captured a share of the MVC Mississippi Division title by closing with five wins in their final six regular-season games, then blasted No. 14 Mount Pleasant, 60-23, in the regional semifinals. Xavier has more scoring punch than in recent years, and that makes the Saints a threat against anybody in 4A. Lizzy Bailey tops the Saints in scoring at 12.7 points per game and shoots 83 percent from the line. Morgan Breitbach adds 9.8 ppg. North is a newcomer to the high-quality basketball. The Wildcats started the season 13-0 before coming back down to earth somewhat. With a young lineup, this is a program that should continue to ascend. Jinaya Houston (21.4 ppg) and Jacionna Stowers (18.9 ppg) are sophomores; Paige Bradford (15.6) is a freshman.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com