Dropoff? What dropoff? Despite heavy losses, Springville remains a force

In terms of raw scoring numbers, few area girls’ basketball teams graduated as much as Springville.

The Orioles lost 73 percent of their points from last year’s state-tournament team.

Time for a massive plunge, right?

Not exactly.

“We still have eight seniors this year, and these kids played with (last year’s seniors for (three) years,” Orioles Coach Christina Zaruba said. “We knew these kids had it. They just had to show that they had it.”

They’ve shown it.

The runner-up of the always-competitive Tri-Rivers Conference West Division, Springville (19-4) has closed with a rush — nine straight wins, 14 in its last 15 games, and a berth in the Class 1A regional semifinals.

The Orioles play at Montezuma (19-3) in one of the area’s premier games Friday.

Springville’s senior crew includes Molly Stamp (12.1 points per game) and Isabel Guerrero (9.8 points, 4.2 steals per contest). The addition of freshman Rowan Jacobi (13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds per game) has been timely.

The Orioles will contend Friday with a Montezuma outfit that averages nearly 27 3-point attempts per game. In its two regional routs thus far, the Bravettes were 27 of 57 from long range.

“We need to get on their shooters,” Zaruba said. “They don’t just shoot it from the 3-point line. They shoot it from deeper, so that can lead to some crazy-long rebounds.”

The early rounds of the small-school postseason have contained two notable, if not major, surprises.

First, Edgewood-Colesburg knocked off No. 10 Elkader Central in a 1A quarterfinal. The Vikings (12-11) will play a rubber match with Maquoketa Valley (15-9) Friday at Delhi.

“The girls have been playing well,” Ed-Co Coach Steve Putz said. “We changed some things, some personnel throughout the last third of the season, and we’ve won seven of the last eight.

“We don’t fear anybody. We didn’t fear Elkader.”

The Vikings own one of the area’s top posts in junior Audrie Helmrichs, who averages 18.9 points and 14.1 rebounds per game and shoots 59.4 percent from the floor.

“Nobody has really stopped her yet. She works hard and has a nose for the ball,” Putz said. She outworks her opponents and demands the same from her teammates.”

The second surprise is West Branch (7-16), which knocked off East Buchanan on Tuesday and plays at Bellevue (15-7) in a 2A semifinal Friday.

“It’s been a tough season, but I’m proud of the way the girls have kept coming to practice and working hard,” Bears Coach Jerod Tylee said.

“Bellevue will put a lot of pressure on you. They want to create turnovers and get easy baskets. I feel our conference prepares us for this time of year.”

Two teams in different divisions of the River Valley Conference, West Branch and Bellevue did not play in the regular season.

Friday’s Class 2A regional semifinals

(All games 7 p.m.)

Region 1

Jesup (13-9) at No. 1 Dike-New Hartford (21-1)

West Branch (7-16) at Bellevue (15-7)

Region 5

Dyersville Beckman (12-10) at No. 6 Cascade (19-2)

Denver (10-13) at No. 15 Aplington-Parkersburg (18-4)

Region 6

Wilton (10-12) at No. 5 Iowa City Regina (19-4)

Danville (10-12) at No. 12 Mediapolis (19-3)

Friday’s Class 1A regional semifinals

(All games 7 p.m.)

Region 3

Calamus-Wheatland (19-5) at No. 3 North Linn (20-1)

Springville (19-4) at Montezuma (19-3)

Region 6

Clarksville (16-7) at No. 5 West Fork (22-0)

Edgewood-Colesburg (12-11) at Maquoketa Valley (15-9)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com