It’s a 2A regional final, and the 14th time in 15 years, Regina is in it

They’ve won a lot of these games, lost a few.

Either way, the Regina Regals are almost always here.

“It’s something we take a lot of pride in,” Iowa City Regina girls basketball coach Mary Rogers said as the Regals gear up for their 14th regional final in the last 15 years, their seventh in a row.

Eighth-ranked Regina (18-5) faces No. 7 Grundy Center (21-2) in a Class 2A showdown Wednesday; tipoff is 7 p.m. at Van Horne.

It’s one of five regional finals containing area teams.

Also in 2A, No. 13 Cascade (18-5) meets No. 4 Denver (21-2) at Independence, and No. 14 Maquoketa Valley (19-4) faces No. 5 Emmetsburg (22-2) at Hampton.

In Class 1A, No. 4 Springville (23-1) takes on No. 15 Lansing Kee (16-7) at Manchester, and Edgewood-Colesburg (16-8) takes its shot at No. 6 Dunkerton (21-2) at Waverly.

Winners advance to the state tournament next week at Casey’s Center, Des Moines.

This 15-year stretch has netted eight state-tournament berths for Regina, including a trip to the semifinals last year.

Addie McLaughlin was a freshman on that team, and has become the Regals’ undisputed go-to player, averaging 22.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 5.1 steals per contest.

“She’s capable of scoring at all three levels, shooting, attacking, distributing,” Rogers said. “She takes on two or three defenders and handles it well.”

Maquoketa Valley faces a 114-mile trip to Hampton for its contest with Emmetsburg.

“We’ll leave around 2:50 stop halfway, get out and stretch,” Wildcats Coach Scot Moenck said. “I don’t think the trip will affect us.

“We’re a competitive team. In everything we do, we compete. And we have nine girls that can do it. We make some mistakes, but they are aggressive mistakes. Nothing that we do is lazy.”

Wednesday’s Class 2A regional finals

(All games, 7 p.m.)

No. 13 CASCADE (18-5) vs. No. 4 DENVER (21-2)

At Independence

Recent history tracks favorably on Cascade, which advanced to state in 2020, 2022 and 2024. These Cougars have stormed back after an 0-2 start, with two of their losses since that time coming in River Valley Conference North Division play to 3A No. 2 Maquoketa. Senior Addison Frake is one of the area’s top four-sport athletes, and averages 14.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game. She shoots 51 percent from the floor. Each of Denver’s five starters are seniors, and all were part of the Cyclones’ back-to-back state championships in volleyball. Mylee Thurm leads that crew at 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

No. 14 MAQUOKETA VALLEY (19-4) vs. No. 5 EMMETSBURG (22-2)

At Hampton

It’s 222 miles from Delhi to Emmetsburg, and thankfully 2A brackets culminate in neutral-site regional finals. Maquoketa Valley survived a couple of close calls in the previous two rounds — 47-40 over Lisbon, 45-42 over MFL MarMac. Sophomore guard Audra Burbridge (20.8 points, 4.3 assists, 5.4 steals per game) and senior Grace Richter (15.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg) are the Wildcats’ leaders. Emmetsburg is a win away from its first state berth since 1999. The E-Hawks are champions of the Twin Lakes Conference, a league that contains Newell-Fonda, and their two losses were to 3A state qualifiers. Senior Rachel Schany (21.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg) presents a challenge.

No. 8 IOWA CITY REGINA (18-5) vs. No. 7 GRUNDY CENTER (21-2)

At Van Horne

Regina has reached this step of the ladder for the seventh consecutive year (and the 14th time in the last 15 years), a run that has netted eight state-tournament berths. Regina was a 2A state semifinalist last year and possesses a prolific scorer in sophomore Addie McLaughlin (22.3 points per game), who already is up to 956 points in her career. McLaughlin also is good for 6.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 5.1 steals per game. Grundy Center is in pursuit of its third state trip in the last six years. The Spartans are balanced, with junior Ava Mundt and seniors Kali Aldrich and Karlee Lynch each scoring at a 10-point-per-game clip.

State

No. 1 Hinton (19-1) vs. No. 15 Earlham (18-6), at Denison

No. 2 Rock Valley (21-2) vs. Sioux Central (17-6), at Hartley

No. 3 Central Lyon (18-4) vs. No. 10 Westwood, at Le Mars

No. 6 Treynor (20-2) vs. Pleasantville (12-11), at Stuart

No. 9 West Lyon (16-7) vs. No. 11 Oakland Riverside (20-3), at Sioux City East

Wednesday’s Class 1A regional finals

(All games 7 p.m.)

No. 4 SPRINGVILLE (23-1) vs. No. 15 LANSING KEE (16-7)

At Manchester

Led by senior star Rowan Jacobi, Springville is favored to reach Des Moines for the ninth time in 12 years. A University of South Dakota prospect, Jacobi averages 27.6 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, and has scored 87 in two postseason contests. Her career totals are 2,090 points (18th all-time in Iowa) and 1,138 rebounds (12th). Junior Addison Merritt adds 12.8 points per game for the Orioles, champions of the Tri-Rivers Conference West Division and winners of 17 consecutive games. Kee High fought past Bellevue Marquette in the previous round and is led by junior Rylee Mudderman (17.7 ppg) and senior Addison Winters (13.6 ppg, 10.4 rpg).

EDGEWOOD-COLESBURG (16-8) vs. No. 6 DUNKERTON (21-2)

At Waverly

Ed-Co pulled the most substantial surprise of the 1A postseason to date, knocking off No. 9 Turkey Valley in the regional finals, 52-50. Senior Lilee Boriskey was the star of the show, compiling 39 points (she was 12 of 22 from the floor, 14 of 24 from the line) and 13 rebounds. Boriskey is averaging 26.5 points and 9.6 boards per game this season. Another significant upset would send Ed-Co to state for only the second time; the other was in 2002. Dunkerton is on a 12-game win streak and averages 68.7 points per game. Junior guard Kylee Pexa averages 19.6 points, 5.0 assists and 4.8 steals per game for the Iowa Star Conference North Division champions.

State

No. 1 Algona Garrigan (21-2) vs. No. 12 Lake Mills (17-5), at Mason City

No. 2 Newell-Fonda (21-2) vs. George-Little Rock (19-4), at Cherokee

No. 3 Council Bluffs St. Albert (20-3) vs. No. 11 Coon Rapids-Bayard (19-5), at Harlan

No. 5 Lynnville-Sully (23-0) vs. No. 13 North Union (15-8), at Webster City

No. 7 Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton (21-1) vs. No. 10 Ruthven GTRA (22-2), at Carroll

No. 8 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (20-3) vs. No. 14 Saint Ansgar (19-4), at Charles City

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com