Girls’ state basketball notes: Regina exceeded expectations, Xavier set to challenge No. 1 DCG

DES MOINES — In the preseason, Iowa City Regina was unranked and probably underappreciated.

“We were definitely underdogs at the beginning of the season,” junior guard Grace Gaarde said. “We didn’t even know our own strength at the beginning.”

After a River Valley Conference South Division championship and their first state-tournament berth in three years, expectations will edge upward for the Regals in 2022-23.

“I think so,” Coach Mary Rogers said after the curtain fell on the sixth-raked Regals, 46-38 against No. 4 Panorama in a Class 2A state quarterfinal Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

“We’ve got three starters coming back, and I think expectations will be higher.”

Three of the top four scorers will be back for the Regals, who finished 20-5: Gaarde, Morgan Miller and Alli Clark combined for 31.5 points per game.

Regina was undone by extended scoring droughts at the start of the third and fourth quarters

Down 26-21 at halftime, Regina missed its first 10 shots of the third quarter and went scoreless for nearly six minutes. The Regals did regroup and get within 32-26, only to surrender the first five points of the fourth period.

“(The Panthers’) hands are super-active,” Rogers said. “We weren’t able to find a rhythm.”

Gaarde said, “They were an aggressive team. They were here for a reason. We knew it would be difficult. Shots weren’t falling for us like they usually are.”

Down 11 points with five minutes left, Regina made a last-ditch comeback bid, getting within 39-35 on Lily Simpson’s offensive rebound and basket with 2:36 to go.

Xavier tackles ‘the full package’

When Cedar Rapids Xavier and Dallas Center-Grimes congregate for their Class 4A semifinal Thursday afternoon, it will be a meeting of two deep, balanced squads.

“Dallas Center-Grimes, they have the full package. They’re pretty darn good,” Xavier Coach Tom Lilly said. “They have at least three exceptionally good basketball players.”

Junior Emma Miner paces the top-ranked Mustangs (21-3) at 14.0 points per game. Another junior, Finley Fitzgerald comes off the bench and scores at an 8.0-point clip, and sophomore Vanessa Bickford tallies 7.3 per contest.

Then there’s No. 4 Xavier (18-6).

Eight players scored in the Saints’ quarterfinal win over DeWitt Central, led by Kyla Mason, with 14 points. Freshman Libby Fandel had a strong stat line (12 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals), and Mary Kate Moeder and Maddie Steger added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

That’s the way they’ve rolled all season.

“When you don’t have to rely on one or two players to carry you, it helps so much as a team,” Lilly said. “The other team can’t sit on one or two players.”

The Xavier-DCG winner will face No. 2 Glenwood or No. 3 Sioux City Heelan for the 4A championship at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Michele Conlon earns First Lady Award

Iowa City’s Michele Conlon has been named the 2022 recipient of the IGHSAU First Lady Award. She will be honored Friday during halftime of the 3A championship game.

Conlon is the 15th recipient of the IGHSAU’s most prestigious award.

Conlon participated in softball, basketball, volleyball and tennis at Iowa City High. In tennis, she was a four-time state participant, where she won two state championships and was runner-up once. She was the No. 1 singles and doubles player at the University of Iowa all four years.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com