East Buchanan is recharged, ready for the girls’ basketball postseason

You could argue, with validity, that this is best girls’ basketball season — the best team — in East Buchanan High School history.

It’s not a stretch to say it could end as early as Thursday. Or it could end in Des Moines.

“I think that’s exactly right,” Bucs Coach Nathan Reck said. “It’s a challenging path for us. A lot of games that we could win, or we could lose.

“But I like this team a lot. It’s probably the most complete team I’ve had here.”

No. 14 East Buchanan (16-5) opens with a Class 1A regional first-rounder with Edgewood-Colesburg (8-13). Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Winthrop.

With No. 3 Springville and No. 6 North Linn earning first-round byes, East Buchanan is the top area team in action Thursday. The Buccaneers will be playing Ed-Co for the third time; they prevailed by comfortable margins twice in the regular season.

If the Buccaneers prevail, they are likely to face dangerous teams with winning records through the rest of the postseason series.

Reck said his team is recharged after a draining close to the regular season, in which the Bucs played 10 games in 18 days, capped by an unexpected loss to Alburnett, a team similar in record to Ed-Co.

“I could see that coming all of last week,” Reck said. “We play a very fast game, and the girls didn’t have any energy left. We should be much more rested (Thursday).”

Senior point guard Lauren Donlea has been the face of the franchise for the past two seasons. She is averaging 13.1 points, 5.7 assists and 5.1 steals per game.

“Add up everything, and she has had one of the best careers I’ve seen here,” Reck said. “She’s got girls she can go to ... she can pass it and they’ll score.”

Freshman Laynee Hogan (14.3 ppg) gives the Bucs an outside threat, and junior Averiel Brady is a presence in the paint, posting 13.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest.

Led by potential regional-final combatants East Buchanan and North Linn, 1A Region 4 houses 10 Tri-Rivers Conference teams. That includes 2021 2A state runner-up Maquoketa Valley (12-9), which welcomes Bellevue Marquette (9-12).

Other top area small-school teams that play Thursday:

Cedar Valley Christian, which completed its second straight winless season at 0-21, opted out of the postseason.

Round 2 is Tuesday.

Thursday’s Class 1A Regional First Round

(All games, 7 p.m.)

REGION 4

Bellevue Marquette (9-12) vs. Maquoketa Valley (12-9)

Easton Valley (7-12) at Calamus-Wheatland (17-4)

Midland (8-13) at Clinton Prince of Peace (13-8)

Edgewood-Colesburg (8-13) at East Buchanan (16-5)

West Central (7-14) at Central City (12-9)

Tripoli (7-14) at Elkader Central (17-4)

Lansing Kee (7-14) at Turkey Valley (15-6)

REGION 5

Conrad BCLUW (13-8) at Gladbrook-Reinbeck (9-13)

HLV (5-17) at Iowa Valley (15-6)

North Tama (8-12) at Collins-Maxwell (14-5)

Colo-Nesco (6-16) at Baxter (21-0)

Don Bosco (3-17) at Belle Plaine (13-8)

Garwin GMG (7-14) at Meskwaki (17-4)

Waterloo Christian (12-8) at Dunkerton (8-13)

REGION 6

WACO (9-12) at Wapello (10-10)

Hillcrest Academy (1-17) at Winfield-Mount Union (17-4)

New London (1-21) at Fort Madison Holy Trinity (10-11)

Lisbon (7-14) at Highland (11-9)

Lone Tree (7-15) at English Valleys (18-3)

Keota (6-14) at Sigourney (11-11)

REGION 7

Grand View Christian (8-11) at Moulton-Udell (7-14)

Mormon Trail (9-11) at Southeast Warren (13-8)

Melcher-Dallas (8-12) at Wayne (11-10)

Moravia (1-19) at Martensdale-St. Marys (20-1)

BGM (0-22) at Lynnville-Sully (11-10)

Seymour (7-12) at Lamoni (18-4)

Tri-County (3-18) at Twin Cedars (15-7)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com