Monticello's aim: No regional-final letdown

OK, so the rubber match is off.Donnie Kremer hopes his team's edge didn't depart with it."That's in the back of my head," Kremer said as eighth-ranked Monticello (23-1) prepares for its Class 2A girls' basketball regional final against Bellevue (17-6). Tipoff is 7 p.m. Monday at Beckman High School in Dyersville.The Panthers heard of Bellevue's regional-semifinal upset of No. 5 Maquoketa Valley about the time they entered the locker room to celebrate their victory over Camanche."We're glad we don't have to play Maquoketa Valley, but Bellevue will be just as dangerous," Kremer said.The state-tournament field will be finalized in classes 2A and 1A Monday. In 1A games of area interest, Central City (16-8) faces No. 9 Lynnville-Sully (19-4) at Meskwaki Settlement School near Tama and Lone Tree (17-6) meets No. 6 North Mahaska at Wellman.Central City had been a girls' basketball purgatory through much of its first 16 years since making the switch to 5-on-5. Sixteen straight losing seasons.But the Wildcats went 12-12 and reached the regional semifinals last year, then continued the ascent this season.They rallied from a 12-point third-quarter deficit to stun No. 11 North Tama, 54-46, in the regional semis. If they slay another ranked team Monday, they'll make their first state appearance since 1991."It's amazing," said Central City Coach Cody Ratliff. "The kids deserve every bit of this. This will be another tough battle, but the kids will be ready."Speaking of ready, Bellevue had best be prepared for a potential fourth-quarter onslaught by Monticello. The Panthers trailed Camanche by a point after three quarters Friday. They won by 17."Our pressure got to them," Kremer said. "We got some turnovers and we got some easy baskets. I always tell the girls we might not get everything to work at the beginning of the game. But by the fourth quarter, it will take a toll."Regional finals in 3A and 4A are Tuesday.

MONDAY'S REGIONAL FINALS

Monticello vs. Bellevue (Class 2A Region 5)

Site & time: At Dyersville (Beckman H.S.), 7 p.m.

Records & rankings: Monticello (23-1) is ranked No. 8; Bellevue (17-6) is unrated.

Notable: A conference champion for the first time in school history, Monticello seeks its third state-tournament appearance in five years. Down 17-16 after three quarters, the Panthers outscored Camanche 26-8 in the fourth in one regional semi. In the other, Bellevue shocked No. 5 Maquoketa Valley, 45-43. Brooke Stahlberg paces the Panthers at 12.4 points per game and shoots 56 percent from the field. Bellevue's top two scorers are a sophomore (Kelsey Ernst, 12.9 ppg) and a freshman (Ali Reeg, 11.6 ppg).

Central City vs. Lynnville-Sully (Class 1A Region 5)

Site & time: At Tama (Mewkwaki Settlement School), 7 p.m.

Records & rankings: Central City (16-8) is unranked; Lynnville-Sully (19-4) is No. 9.

Notable: Central City has reached the regional-final round for the first time in its five-player history. In fact, this is the first time the Wildcats have put together a winning season since making the switch to 5-on-5 ball in 1993-94. Trailing by 12 points midway through the third quarter, the Wildcats rallied behind a 3-point barrage and beat No. 11 North Tama, 54-46. Tanya Hendrickson leads Central City at 12.6 points per game. Lynnville-Sully has held its three regional foes to 26, 33 and 29 points. The Hawks were state qualifiers last year.

Lone Tree vs. North Mahaska (Class 1A Region 6)

Site & time: At Wellman (Mid-Prairie H.S.), 7 p.m.

Records & rankings: Lone Tree (17-6) is unranked; North Mahaska (22-2) is No. 6.

Notable: After sweating out a 52-49 win over Iowa Mennonite in their regional opener, the Lions have posted back-to-back double-digit wins and are on the cusp of their first state tournament since 1987. Courtney Burr paces Lone Tree at 18.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. North Mahaska is the champion of the South Iowa Cedar League. The Warhawks should be good for a while ... the team is comprised basically of juniors and sophomores. Soph Mallory Boyle is the scoring leader at 12.8 points per game.