No. 15 Lansing Kee upsets No. 4 Springville 55-43 Class 1A girls basketball regional final

MANCHESTER — Ben Wagner knew a night like this was possible.

From the beginning of the girls basketball season, the seventh-year Lansing Kee coach was adamant that he had the type of group to take another step beyond last year’s loss in a regional final.

But to do so, the Hawks would have to tussle with a one-loss Springville bunch led by 6-foot-3 South Dakota recruit Rowan Jacobi.

Turns out, Kee was more than up to the challenge.

“Started right from the season, just preparing for this moment,” Wagner said after No. 15 Kee smothered fourth-ranked Springville, 55-43, in a Class 1A regional final Wednesday night at West Delaware High School. “We had a real hard schedule. We played 4A schools, 3A schools, our conference now joined with the Northeast Iowa Conference, so we have been playing 2A and 3A schools all year long and competed pretty well with them. I kept telling the girls it was going to pay off in the end and it did.”

The win sends Kee (17-7) to the girls state basketball tournament for the first time since 2018 and just the third time in program history. The upset-minded Hawks are seeded eighth and will face No. 1 Algona Garrigan (22-2) in a 1A state quarterfinal March 4 at 1:30 at Casey’s Center in Des Moines.

“Just playing our game, having a positive mindset,” Kee junior Rylee Mudderman said. “This was our goal, so now we are going to take it a step further. We’ve been saying, ‘One step at a time.’ Once we got there, now we have got to do it again.”

Wagner told the team before the game that a strong start would be crucial to upset Springville and Mudderman delivered. Her two three-point baskets in the first quarter helped the Hawks to a 17-5 lead.

“We stuck to our game plan, we trusted our gut,” Mudderman said. “We started off hot and I think that is what led to the momentum. We had the momentum on our side and one we had it, we knew.”

Springville got no closer than nine points the rest of the way, thanks in large part to a stifling defensive double team by Kee senior Addison Winters and junior Lilah Strong against Jacobi.

Jacobi – who scored 44 points in Friday’s regional semifinal – had just three points in the first half, finished with 13 and spent the entire game in foul trouble before fouling out with two minutes left.

“We just doubled her and made sure to have two girls on her as much as we could and limit her touches,” Winters said. “If she did get the ball, just trying to stop it.”

Kee led by as many as 20 points on three occasions. Winters and Mudderman – who tacked on two more 3-pointers to open the second half – scored 16 points apiece, while Lillian Kolsrud chipped in nine.

Jacobi and junior Addison Merritt each had 13 points for Springville (23-2), which lost for the first time since Dec. 20.

Girls basketball

Class 1A Regional Final

At Manchester

No. 15 Lansing Kee 55, No. 4 Springville 43

LANSING KEE (55): Rylee Mudderman 4 4-6 16, Lillian Kolsrud 3 1-2 9, Addison Winters 6 4-6 16, Elena Schulte 0 0-0 0, Morgan Mohn 3 0-0 7, Lilah Strong 3 1-6 7, Totals 19 10-20 55.

SPRINGVILLE (43): Addison Merritt 4 2-2 13, Lexi Dietiker 1 0-0 3, Ella Hoge 0 0-0 0, Kalleigh Greene 4 1-1 9, Rowan Jacobi 6 1-4 13, Jacey Martin 2 1-3 5, Madison Williams 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 5-10 43.

Lansing Kee 17 9 13 16—55

Springville 5 9 12 17—43

Three-point field goals – Lansing Kee 7 (Mudderman 4, Kolsrud 2, Mohn 1), Springville 4 (Merritt 3, Dietiker 1). Total fouls: Lansing Kee 10, Springville 18. Fouled out – Jacobi.

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