Regina stifles No. 7 North Cedar, 50-45

IOWA CITY – North Cedar was no match for the matchup.

A 2-3 matchup zone defense slowed down the Class 2A No. 7 Knights offensively and helped Iowa City Regina to a 50-45 win Monday night at Regina. The victory avenged a 15-point loss to North Cedar in early January at Clarence.

“After watching the tape of that game a couple of times, we decided we really didn't need to change a thing,” said Regina Coach Randy Larson. “We were not a good offensive team then. We are now.”

Regina (14-4, 10-2 in the Cedar Valley Conference) pretty much led the entire way, though it was tight throughout. The Regals built as large as an eight-point edge in the first half, with North Cedar (14-4, 11-1) rallying within 34-30 at halftime.

Regina pulled away to a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter and held off another rally that saw North Cedar get within 48-45 with 12.4 seconds left. Guard Ryan Lynch, who led the Regals with 19 points, hit a pair of clinching free throws.

Jordan Hay had a game-high 22 points for North Cedar, right at his average, though he was the only double-figure scorer for his team. The Knights were tentative all night against Regina's zone, with sharp-shooting guards Kyle Jackson and Seth Bendixen unable to get many good looks from the perimeter.

Larson said his team played mostly man-to-man in the first game between the two.

“We were trying to get an early lead, so we could make sure we could play that defense the whole way,” Lynch said. “It worked out for us.”

“We were scared,” said North Cedar Coach Scott Jackson. “We had nobody who wanted to penetrate their zone. They were wide. We didn't make anything happen.”

Here is a quick video interview with Regina's Lynch:

[gallery columns="2"]