Iowa high school girls’ state basketball 2024: Class 2A qualifiers, bracket, schedule

Class 2A determined its eight qualifiers for the 2024 Iowa high school girls’ state basketball tournament with regional finals Wednesday night. Here’s a look at Wednesday’s scores, plus the state bracket and schedule released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

The state tournament is next week at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Wednesday’s Class 2A Iowa high school girls’ basketball regional finals

No. 1 Dike-New Hartford 63, Aplington-Parkersburg 35

Three-time defending state champion Dike-New Hartford (23-2) will make its seventh consecutive trip to state. The Wolverines beat Aplington-Parkersburg (19-5) Wednesday in a rematch of a 2023 state quarterfinal game. They were responsible for three of the Falcons’ five losses this season.

No. 2 Panorama 59, No. 15 Denver 55 (OT)

Panorama (23-1) got a Morgan Crees layup at the buzzer to force an extra session, then held off Denver (16-8) to secure its third straight state berth.

No. 3 Westwood 55, Exira-EHK 35

Westwood (21-0) stayed undefeated and booked its first trip to state since 2001 in the process. The Rebels held Exira-EHK (16-7) to three second-quarter points to extend their lead to 25-14 at halftime.

No. 11 Cascade 50, No. 6 Iowa City Regina 47

Josie Manternach’s late layup gave Cascade (17-6) a 48-47 lead and the Cougars held on for their third state bid in five years. Iowa City Regina (19-5) had rallied from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to go in front.

» Read the full story from Gazette correspondent Mike Condon: Cascade pulls off a ‘gutsy’ girls’ basketball regional final win, holding off another Regina comeback

No. 4 Sioux Central 51, Pocahontas Area 32

Sioux Central (22-1) earned its first state tournament bid with a win over Pocahontas Area (14-9), which was a state semifinalist last season.

No. 5 Eddyville EBF 61, No. 14 North Mahaska 41

EBF (23-1) earned another shot at its first victory at the state tournament after making its debut last year. North Mahaska closed at 19-5.

No. 7 Central Lyon 51, No. 10 Hinton 43

The Class 2A runner-up last season, Central Lyon (20-3) trailed 29-21 at the half but rallied past Hinton (20-3) to get back to state.

No. 9 Grundy Center 55, No. 8 Nodaway Valley 48

Grundy Center (21-2) heads to state for the first time since 2021. Nodaway Valley (20-4) led by two after one but the Spartans were up 27-21 by halftime.

Class 2A Iowa high school girls’ basketball state tournament

Quarterfinals — Tuesday, Feb. 27 and Wednesday, Feb. 28

No. 1 Dike-New Hartford (23-2) vs. No. 11 Cascade (17-6), 6:45 p.m. Tue.

No. 4 Sioux Central (22-1) vs. No. 5 Eddyville EBF (23-1), 8:30 p.m. Tue.

No. 2 Panorama (23-1) vs. No. 9 Grundy Center (21-2), 10 a.m. Wed.

No. 3 Westwood (21-0) vs. No. 7 Central Lyon (20-3), 11:45 a.m. Wed.

Semifinals — Friday, March 1

10 a.m.

11:45 a.m.

Championship — Saturday, March 2

4:45 p.m.

Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com