Iowa high school girls’ state basketball 2023: Friday’s scores, stats and more

It’s the penultimate day of the 2023 Iowa high school girls’ state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena, which includes a pair of championship games and four semifinal games. Stay up to date with scores, stats and more coverage here throughout the day.

Girls’ state basketball coverage

» Sioux Center ends Benton’s emotional run, claims the 3A girls’ state basketball championship

» Newell-Fonda crashes both the boards and North Linn’s title dreams

» The evolution of Audi Crooks has been more mental than physical

» Updated brackets and schedules for all five classes

Friday’s girls’ state basketball championship games

CLASS 3A: No. 7 Sioux Center 62, No. 4 Benton Community 47

Passing lanes were clogged. Driving lanes were full of traffic.

It wasn’t a good combination. And it just wasn’t Benton Community’s night.

Fourth-ranked Sioux Center trapped, harassed and “out-lengthed” No. 6 Benton, and has a Class 3A girls’ state basketball championship to show for it, the reward of a 62-47 conquest Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

“I don’t think we ever got comfortable,” Benton Coach Jeff Zittergruen said. “(Sioux Center) is long. They do a really good job of what they do. That’s a really good basketball team.”

A championship team, at last. The Warriors were 3A runners-up in 2017 and 2018, then took the final step Friday to finish a 21-5 campaign.

“Even though we were a 6-seed, we always believed,” all-tournament captain Willow Bleeker said. “We play really good competition, and a lot of close games. This week, we were able to show what we can do, and it’s just awesome.”

» Read more from The Gazette’s Jeff Linder

» Photo gallery

» Box score

All-tournament team: Willow Bleeker (Sioux Center, captain), Jenna Twedt (Benton Community), Alyssa Griffith (Vinton-Shellsburg), Hailey Miller (Solon), McKenna Kramer (Benton Community), Tatum Schmalbeck (Sioux Center)

CLASS 5A: No. 1 Pleasant Valley 59, No. 2 Johnston 56

Pleasant Valley (26-0) completed an undefeated season with its first state championship, denying Johnston (24-2) a repeat (and a third in four years).

Tied 30-30 at halftime, the Spartans took the lead for good on Jessie Clemons’ 3-pointer midway through the third. The margin stretched as large as 10 in the fourth, but Johnston didn’t go away quietly. Aili Tanke’s 3-pointer cut the lead to one with 13.6 seconds left. Reagan Pagniano made a pair of free throws with 12 seconds remaining and two Johnston tying attempts were off the mark in the final seconds.

Clemons was one of four PV starters in double-figures, scoring a team-high 18 points. All-tournament captain Halle Vice had 14, Pagniano 13 and Addy Maurer 12.

Tanke and Aaliyah Riley both scored 23 points for the Dragons. Tanke notched a double-double with 14 rebounds.

» Box score

All-tournament team: Halle Vice (Pleasant Valley, captain), Aili Tanke (Johnston), Jessie Clemons (Pleasant Valley), Ava Zediker (West Des Moines Dowling), Jaeden Pratt (Ankeny Centennial), Aaliyah Riley (Johnston)

Friday’s Class 1A girls’ state basketball semifinals

No. 2 Newell-Fonda 66, No. 3 North Linn 48

It wasn’t the press that led to North Linn’s tournament demise.

It was the boards.

Second-ranked Newell-Fonda was relentless on the glass, grabbing 17 offensive rebounds — which led to a prohibitive advantage in second-chance points. The Mustangs pulled away in the last 14 minutes in a 66-48 Class 1A semifinal triumph at the girls’ state basketball tournament Friday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

“Obviously, they’re a really good team,” North Linn’s Kamryn Kurt said. “They took us out of everything we’ve done all year, and good teams are going to do that.”

And Newell-Fonda is a very good team, every single year. The Mustangs (24-2) advanced to the championship game for the 11th time, all in the last 27 years.

» Read more from The Gazette’s Jeff Linder

» Photo gallery

» Box score

No. 1 Algona Garrigan 73, No. 4 Remsen St. Mary’s 39

Top-ranked Garrigan (25-1) will play for a second straight state title at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Iowa State recruit Audi Crooks added to her career state tournament scoring record with 26 points on 10-for-11 shooting. She also had 10 rebounds and five blocks. Molly Joyce added 16 points.

The Golden Bears established supremacy early with a 24-4 first quarter.

» Box score

Friday’s Class 2A girls’ state basketball semifinals

No. 2 Central Lyon 65, No. 8 Pocahontas Area 44

Central Lyon (24-0) set up a rematch with Dike-New Hartford (a 59-52 winner last year) in the Class 2A title game, set for 4:45 p.m. Saturday.

The Lions trailed 15-13 after one against Pocahontas Area (21-5) but held it to three points in the second to take a 24-18 halftime lead.

Addison Klosterbuer made 4 of 6 3-point attempts and scored a game-high 20 points with seven rebounds; she’s hit 12 3-pointers in two games this week. Desta Hoogendoorn added 19 points and eight boards. Akaysa Duitscher led Pocahontas Area with 12 points.

» Box score

No. 1 Dike-New Hartford 61, No. 4 Sibley-Ocheyedan 56

Payton Petersen put up a triple-double with 28 points, 19 rebounds and 10 steals as two-time defending 2A champion Dike-New Hartford (25-1) returned to the title game. Jadyn Petersen added 15 points and 17 boards.

Other than a loss to 1A No. 1 Algona Garrigan, Sibley-Ocheyedan (22-4) gave Dike-New Hartford its closest game of the season.

The Generals trailed by 14 in the third quarter but pulled within two on Marissa Ackerman’s 3-pointer with 18 seconds remaining. An intentional foul was called on the ensuing possession and the Wolverines sealed the win at the line.

Ackerman led Sibley-Ocheyedan with 14 points. Bria Wasmund had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists and Madison Brouwer totaled 10 points, 11 boards and eight blocks.

» Box score