Maquoketa Valley stumbles, then storms back in girls’ state basketball quarterfinal win

DES MOINES - Maquoketa Valley is a veteran team. But you've got to remember, these Wildcats are state-tournament newbies.

'We came out tight, like we hadn't played before,” Coach Scot Moenck said.

The top-ranked Wildcats dug themselves a double-digit hole, but climbed out - and then some.

Ella Imler scored 13 points in a telling third quarter, and Maquoketa Valley stormed past Rock Valley, 51-35, in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the girls' state basketball tournament Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

'We were tense to start, but we took a deep breath,” Imler said. 'We had to be better.”

They were. After starting 2-for-8 from the field, the Wildcats (24-0) shot 54 percent through the final three quarters. They'll face No. 4 Nodaway Valley (24-0) in a semifinal at 10 a.m. Friday.

Maquoketa Valley was out of sorts early, and Rock Valley scored the first six points, then extended the margin to 15-5 by the end of the first quarter.

'We were in panic mode,” Taya Tucker said. 'We were rushing passes. By the second quarter, we were like, ‘Just relax. We can do it.'”

The Wildcats were within 21-20 by the midpoint of the second quarter, then neither team scored in the final 4:25 of the period.

Then, the third quarter was all Imler, all Wildcats.

Imler's 3-pointer gave the Wildcats their first lead, 25-23, then she promptly hit another. Her third long ball made it 31-25, then she added a bucket to extend the margin to 33-25, and it was 37-26 at the end of the quarter.

'Ella's a warrior,” Moenck said. 'She never gets tired.”

Emerson Whittenbaugh, who spent a good portion of the first half on the bench with fouls (she picked up her third at the 5:57 mark of the second quarter), scored on a feed from Kylie Chesnut, then hit a couple of free throws for a 15-point lead. Whittenbaugh's drive made it 43-30, then the Wildcats scored their final eight points from the free-throw line.

'Coach says not to let the highs be too high, or the lows be too low,” Whittenbaugh said. 'I had to be dialed in on the bench, and ready to go when it was time to come back in.”

Imler finished with a game-high 20 points. Whittenbaugh added 12, Tucker 10. Kennedy Rausch came off the bench to hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Chesnut delivered 10 rebounds.

Lexie Van Kekerix led Rock Valley (16-10) with 18 points, 10 in the first quarter.

MAQUOKETA VALLEY 51, ROCK VALLEY 35

Class 2A State Quarterfinal, at Des Moines

ROCK VALLEY (35): Abby Heemstra 3-9 2-3 8, Kielee Koedam 1-3 2-4 4, Madi Strubbe 0-1 3-4 3, Lexie Van Kekerix 7-14 2-2 18, Renae Van Voorst 1-5 0-1 2, Tia Van't Hul 0-1 0-0 0, Jenna Verburg 0-0 0-0 0, Megan Brandt 0-0 0-0 0, Andrea Solano 0-0 0-0 0, Anna Godfredsen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-33 9-14 35.

MAQUOKETA VALLEY (51): Carissa Sabers 0-2 0-0 0, Kylie Chesnut 1-2 1-4 3, Ella Imler 6-13 4-4 20, Taya Tucker 3-10 4-9 10, Emerson Whittenbaugh 4-5 3-4 12, Caelyn Sands 0-0 0-0 0, Kennedy Rausch 2-2 0-0 6, Liz McDowell 0-0 0-0 0, Haley Ronnebaum 0-0 0-0 0, Paige Winter 0-0 0-0 0, Erin Knipper 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-34 12-21 51.

Halftime: Rock Valley 21, Maquoketa Valley 20. 3-point goals: Rock Valley 2-14 (Heemstra 0-2, Koedam 0-2, Van Kekerix 2-6, Van Voorst 0-3, Van't Hul 0-1), Maquoketa Valley 7-16 (Sabers 0-2, Imler 4-9, Tucker 0-2, Whittenbaugh 1-1, Rausch 2-2). Team fouls: Rock Valley 19, Maquoketa Valley 13. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Rock Valley 24 (Heemstra 7), Maquoketa Valley 22 (Chesnut 10). Assists: Rock Valley 5 (Strubbe, Van Voorst 2), Maquoketa Valley 10 (Tucker 4). Steals: Rock Valley 5 (Van Kekerix 2), Maquoketa Valley 7 (Tucker 3). Turnovers: Rock Valley 17, Maquoketa Valley 11.

Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com