Outside early, inside late a winning combination for Regina

MOUNT VERNON — Outside early. Inside later on.

Both times, both ways, just enough.

Class 2A seventh-ranked Iowa City Regina hit seven 3-pointers in the first half, then attacked the basket after intermission and topped 3A No. 10 Mount Vernon, 48-44, in a non-conference girls’ basketball game Thursday night at Mount Vernon High School.

“We really try to be a 3-point team, and also go into the paint,” Regina’s Grace Gaarde said. “We have phenomenal shooters, and we try to find different ways to get our shots.”

Gaarde’s 13-point, five-assist effort led a balanced attack, and the Regals (8-1) won their sixth consecutive game.

“We really brought the energy,” Gaarde said. “We know (Mount Vernon is) a good team. They beat us here last year, so we really wanted to win this one.

“We play so well as a team.”

The Regals led most of the way. Mount Vernon (4-4) battled back from a seven-point second-quarter deficit to take a 30-29 lead on Chloe Meester’s basket with 4:05 left in the third quarter, but the Regals scored the next seven points — Gaarde had a pair of baskets in that span — to regain the lead for good.

Morgan Miller’s 3-pointer — the only one for the Regals in the second half — gave Regina its largest lead of the game, 45-36, with 2:20 to go.

Dani Laughlin added nine points for the winners. Miller and Allison Clark tallied eight apiece.

“We’re a little undersized, but we rely on our athleticism, our quickness and our fight,” Regina Coach Mary Rogers said. “We try to find the gaps in the defense, wherever they might be.”

Regina was perimeter-heavy in the first half, hitting 7 of 19 from behind the arc (it was 1 of 4 inside it), then eight of its nine second-half baskets were inside the arc, mostly inside the paint.

Lilly See and Brynley Rasmussen scored 11 points and combined for 17 rebounds for Mount Vernon.

The Mustangs’ four losses have been by a combined 20 points.

Iowa City Regina 48, Mount Vernon 44

At Mount Vernon

IOWA CITY REGINA (48): Allison Clark 4-7 0-2 8, Grace Gaarde 5-7 1-2 13, Ella McLaughlin 1-7 2-2 5, Morgan Miller 2-10 2-4 8, Morgan Squires 2-4 0-0 5, Dani Laughlin 3-7 1-4 9, Jillian Panther 0-2 0-0 0, Madelyn Greve 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-44 6-14 48.

MOUNT VERNON (44): Kameron Brand 0-2 0-0 0, Lilly See 5-7 2-2 11, Chloe Meester 2-6 1-2 5, Eryn Jackson 3-8 0-0 7, Peyton Simpson 2-6 2-2 7, Brynley Rasmussen 5-7 1-5 11, Courtney Franck 0-2 0-0 0, Josie Niehaus 1-1 0-0 3, Taylor Franck 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-40 6-11 44.

Iowa City Regina 14 11 11 12 — 48

Mount Vernon 12 10 10 12 — 44

3-point goals: Regina 8-24 (Clark 0-2, Gaarde 2-3, McLaughlin 1-3, Miller 2-8, Squires 1-3, Laughlin 2-5), Mount Vernon 4-17 (Brand 0-1, See 1-3, Jackson 1-5, Simpson 1-4, C. Franck 0-2, Niehaus 1-1, T. Franck 0-1). Team fouls: Regina 13, Mount Vernon 13. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Regina 24 (Panther 6), Mount Vernon 34 (See 9). Assists: Regina 13 (Gaarde 5), Mount Vernon 11 (Jackson 5). Steals: Regina 10 (Miller 4), Mount Vernon 8 (See, Jackson 2). Turnovers: Regina 13, Mount Vernon 18.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com