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Iowa high school girls’ state basketball 2022: Thursday’s scores, stats and more
Semifinal games in 5A, 3A, 4A
It’s time for the semifinals of the 2022 Iowa high school girls’ state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Three classes had their championship matchups determined Thursday.
Follow our coverage here for scores, stats and more. Follow The Gazette’s Jeff Linder on Twitter (@jtlinder) for more updates from Des Moines.
Girls’ state basketball coverage
» Xavier advances to 4A championship game with triple-overtime win
» Johnston star Jada Gyamfi is realistic about next year’s role at Iowa
» Wednesday’s girls’ state basketball scores, stats and more
» Updated girls’ state basketball brackets and scores
Thursday’s girls’ state basketball scores
CLASS 5A SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Johnston 64, No. 4 Pleasant Valley 44
Johnston (25-0) forced 21 turnovers and limited Pleasant Valley to 33.3-percent shooting, building as much as a 30-point lead in a semifinal rout.
Iowa signee Jada Gyamfi had 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists. Aaliyah Riley scored 12 points and distributed eight assists and Zoey Buchan added 11 points.
No. 6 Waterloo West 68, No. 7 West Des Moines Valley 58
Waterloo West will play in its first state championship game since 2002 and third overall, seeking its first title.
The Wahawks (23-2) led wire to wire and were up as much as 20 in the third quarter. Sahara Williams scored 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting and was 9-of-10 at the line. She also had seven rebounds and five assists. Halli Poock scored 13 points, Sierra Moore had 11 and 12 rebounds and Brooklynn Smith contributed 10 and eight.
The Tigers (19-6) shot 33.7 percent. Elan Litt scored 14 points. Elise Jaeger tallied 11 points and 15 boards.
CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS
No. 4 Estherville-Lincoln Central 57, No. 1 Unity Christian 44
Estherville-Lincoln Central (25-2) led 17-7 after the first quarter and never trailed as it took down top-ranked, defending champion Unity Christian (24-2).
The lead grew as large as 21, and it was 33-15 at halftime. The Knights got within six with 2:29 left before ELC put it away. ELC’s Kaitlyn Tendal scored a game-high 22 points, making 5 of 9 shots from the floor and 10 of 12 free throw attempts. Jordyn (13) and Haylee (11) Stokes combined for 24 points.
Tyra Schuiteman led Unity Christian with 14 points and eight rebounds.
No. 3 Ballard 56, No. 4 West Lyon 51
Ballard (23-3) turned it over just four times and made 7 of 13 3-point attempts as it booked its spot in the 3A title game.
Brooke Loewe made 15 of 18 free-throw attempts and scored a game-high 25 points for the Bombers. She also had four assists. Brooklyn Meyer nearly matched her for the Wildcats (24-2), going 16 of 17 at the line and scoring 24 points while grabbing 12 rebounds.
Kylie Rigby was 4 for 5 from 3-point range and added 12 points for Ballard. Her trey with 6:51 left gave Ballard a 39-37 lead it never gave up. West Lyon’s Gianna Klarenbeek was also 4 of 5 from deep, scoring 14 points.
CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS
No. 5 Cedar Rapids Xavier 55, No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes 50 (3OT)
Libby Fandel scored 18 points, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 2:15 left in the third overtime that gave Xavier (19-6) a 50-47 lead it didn’t relinquish against top-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes (21-4) in a thrilling Class 4A state semifinal.
The Saints trailed 15-11 at halftime after scoring just two second-quarter points, but forced overtime when Kyla Mason grabbed an offensive rebound and made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left. Mason finished with 16 points.
The Mustangs had shots to win it in the final seconds of regulation and the second overtime, but couldn’t convert. Free throws (10 of 22) hurt too. Emma Miner scored 16 points to lead DCG.
» Game story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 3 Sioux City Heelan 68, No. 2 Glenwood 51
Sioux City Heelan (23-2) made 11 of 16 3-point attempts and used a 26-14 second quarter to take a 38-25 halftime lead and pull away to the 4A title game.
Lauryn Peck and Jada Newberg both scored 17 points. Peck made four triples, Newberg three. Brooklyn Stanley added 16 points, Kenley Meis 13 for the Crusaders, who actually shot worse from the free-throw line (68.2%) than from distance (68.8%).
Abby Hughes led No. 2 Glenwood (20-5) with 16 points.
Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com
Xavier players celebrate following a 4A state semifinal game between Cedar Rapids Xavier and Dallas Center-Grimes in Des Moines on Thursday, March 3, 2022. Xavier defeated Dallas Center-Grimes in triple overtime to advance to the state final. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
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