No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes sizzles in girls’ state basketball win over Benton

DES MOINES — Sometimes, all you can do is put on a brave smile and tip your proverbial cap.

“(Dallas Center-Grimes) is a really, really good basketball team,” Benton Community Coach Jeff Zittergruen said. “We knew they would have to miss a few for us to have a shot.”

The Mustangs didn’t comply.

Instead, top-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes hit 10 of 19 shots from long range, and shot 56.1 percent overall, in a 64-38 victory over No. 14 Benton Community in a Class 4A quarterfinal at the girls’ state basketball tournament Tuesday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

» Photos: Benton Community vs. Dallas Center-Grimes in 4A state quarterfinals

“We moved the ball well, worked really hard together,” said DCG’s Ella Lampe, who led the winners with 15 points. “Nobody on this team does it by themselves, and that’s what makes us hard to guard.”

The Mustangs (21-3) will face No. 5 Cedar Rapids Xavier (18-6) — a 62-55 victor against No. 7 DeWitt Central — in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Benton was making its first state appearance in nine years. The Bobcats certainly didn’t embarrass themselves, shooting 36 percent from the field (including 10 of 24 from long range) and committing only nine turnovers.

Dallas Center-Grimes was just better.

“They’re a great shooting team,” Benton’s McKenna Kramer said. “We executed everything correctly; we just couldn’t battle their shots.”

DCG stormed to a 14-3 lead, then Benton stabilized and battled back. Kramer nailed three consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 78 seconds, cutting a 24-13 deficit to 27-22 with 1:45 left in the first half.

But Emma Miner answered with a 3-pointer on the Mustangs’ next possession, and Lampe hit two more in the final minute of the half, and DCG took a 36-22 lead into intermission.

The Mustangs were 8 of 13 from long range in the first half.

“It didn’t seem like they missed any of them,” Benton’s Jenna Twedt said.

It was 45-30 after three quarters, then the Mustangs owned the final period by a 19-8 margin to bust it open.

Kramer finished 6 of 13 from 3-point range and led all scorers with 18 points. Twedt added 11.

Those two are among four returning starters for 2022-23, and the Bobcats will welcome back 90.5 percent of their scoring.

No reason to believe they won’t be back.

“We definitely have a chance to return,” Twedt said. “This will motivate us 10 times harder.”

Zittergruen said, “This gave us a taste, and I hope it give us the drive in the offseason to get back.”

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Dallas Center-Grimes 64, Benton Community 38

Class 4A State Quarterfinal, at Des Moines

BENTON COMMUNITY (38): Emma Townsley 2-5 0-2 6, McKenna Kramer 6-13 0-0 18, Jenna Twedt 5-13 0-0 11, Zoey Junge 1-4 0-0 3, Grace Embretson 0-0 0-0 0, Laura Junge 0-0 0-0 0, Kennedy Donald 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Von Ahsen 0-0 0-0 0, Piper Nelson 0-2 0-0 0, Addison Phillips 0-0 0-0 0, Tatum Schroeder 0-0 0-0 0, Alyssa Tegeler 0-1 0-0 0, Hannah Greiner 0-1 0-0 0, Ana Glawe 0-0 0-0 0, Jessa DeMoss 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-39 0-2 38.

DALLAS CENTER-GRIMES (64): Avery Korsching 1-4 3-4 5, Vanessa Bickford 3-3 0-0 7, Ella Lampe 6-9 0-0 15, Elle Nelsen 4-10 2-2 11, Emma Miner 3-6 0-0 9, Olivia Valline 0-0 0-0 0, Samantha York 0-0 0-0 0, Kaylin Petrak 0-0 0-2 0, Aubrey Johansen 0-0 0-0 0, Kayla Reis 1-1 3-4 6, Finley Fitzgerald 4-5 0-0 9, Alexia Henrichs 1-1 0-0 2, Kileigh Lachacz 0-0 0-0 0, Jill Janssen 0-0 0-0 0, Josie Lampe 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-41 8-12 64.

Benton Community 10 12 8 8 — 38

Dallas Center-Grimes 19 17 9 19 — 64

3-point goals: Benton 10-24 (Townsley 2-2, Kramer 6-13, Twedt 1-4, Z. Junge 1-3, Nelson 0-1, Greiner 0-1), DCG 10-19 (Korsching 0-1, Bickford 1-1, E. Lampe 3-5, Nelsen 1-4, Miner 3-5, Reis 1-1, Fitzgerald 1-1, J. Lampe 0-1). Team fouls: Benton 15, DCG 9. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Benton 19 (Townsley, Twedt 4), DCG 28 (Miner 6). Assists: Benton 10 (Embretson 3), DCG 14 (Miner 6). Steals: Benton 2 (Twedt, Embretson), DCG 3 (Bickford 2). Turnovers: Benton 9, DCG 7.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com