Iowa girls’ state basketball 2025: A closer look at Thursday’s games

DES MOINES — Capsules for Thursday’s games involving area teams at the Iowa high school girls' state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.

Class 3A semifinals

No. 1 MOUNT VERNON (24-1) vs. No. 6 ESTHERVILLE-LINCOLN CENTRAL (21-3)

Time: 1:30 p.m.

Top players: Evansville signee Sydney Huber (6-0, sr.) leads balanced Mount Vernon in scoring at 15.4 points per game, and post Chloe Meester (6-3, sr.) adds 14.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest. Minnesota State recruit Haylee Stokes (5-7, sr.) triggers ELC. She averages 24.0 points, 6.2 assists and 5.0 steals per game and has scored more than 2,000 points in her career. Rylee Yager (5-11, sr.) adds 14.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Coaches: Nate Sanderson is 272-219 in 23 years of coaching, including 73-24 in four seasons at Mount Vernon. Don Martindale has been at ELC for eight years, and is 144-54 there. Overall, he is 382-212 in 25 seasons.

How they got here: Mount Vernon blitzed West Marshall in the first round, 75-19, behind 23 points from freshman Savanna Wright. ELC also had an easy time of it, topping No. 5 Cherokee, 60-33.

BC Moore computer projection: Mount Vernon by 14.

No. 3 WILLIAMSBURG (24-2) vs. No. 2 DUBUQUE WAHLERT (20-4)

Time: 3:15 p.m.

Top players: Carly Rich (5-6, sr.) is the leading scorer for a balanced Williamsburg squad at 12.8 points per game. Zoe Allen (6-1, jr.) adds 11.1 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds per game. Maryville signee Claire Lueken (5-11, sr.) leads Wahlert. She averages 21.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Ruth Tauber (5-6, jr.) adds 10.0 ppg.

Coaches: Stephanie Dacey is in her third year at Williamsburg and sports a record of 43-28. Kris Spiegler has coached at Wahlert for 18 seasons and owns a 220-218 mark there. She is 277-321 overall.

How they got here: Williamsburg fought its way past No. 9 Des Moines Christian in the quarterfinals, 52-49, thanks to a big third quarter. Wahlert rallied from a four-point halftime deficit and was a first-round victor over No. 12 Spirit Lake, 51-46.

BC Moore computer projection: Wahlert by 4.

Class 4A semifinals

No. 8 CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER (20-4) vs. No. 4 NORWALK (23-1)

Time: 5 p.m.

Top players: University of Kansas recruit Libby Fandel (6-0, sr.) is Xavier’s leader and one of the top players in the state. Fandel averages 25.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 4.1 steals per game. Madden Wilson (5-7, jr.) adds 10.1 ppg. A pair of sisters are Norwalk’s catalysts. Braylyn Birmingham (5-10, fr.) averages 20.4 points per game, and Bailey Birmingham (5-9, sr.) adds 16.5.

Coaches: Xavier’s Tom Lilly is in his 40th and final season of coaching. He owns a record of 642-301, including 453-198 in 27 years at Xavier. Josef Siegrist has compiled a 41-6 record in two seasons at Norwalk, and is 241-100 in 14 years overall.

How they got here: Fandel posted 37 points and an all-time tournament-record 25 rebounds in Xavier’s 71-57 victory over No. 1 Sioux City Heelan in the first round. Norwalk edged No. 5 Central DeWitt, 56-54, on Pearl Brown’s putback at the buzzer.

BC Moore computer projection: Even.

Thursday’s other games

Class 5A semifinals

No. 1 Johnston (24-0) vs. No. 4 Ankeny Centennial (17-7), 10 a.m.

No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling (21-3) vs. No. 3 Waukee Northwest (19-4), 11:45 a.m.

Class 4A Semifinals

No. 2 North Polk (23-2) vs. No. 6 Dallas Center-Grimes (20-4), 6:45 p.m.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com