Regina completes the hat trick vs. West Branch in 2A girls’ basketball regional semifinals

IOWA CITY — In at least one instance, Iowa City Regina’s game-flipping surge defied geometry.

Grace Gaarde’s 3-pointer — banked in, from the right baseline, no less — capped a telling third-quarter run, and the sixth-ranked Regals topped West Branch for the third time this season, 48-40, in a Class 2A regional-semifinal girls’ basketball game Friday night at Regina High School.

“I knew there were just a few seconds left when I got the ball,” Gaarde said. “I wasn’t expecting it to go in, especially like that.”

Regina (19-4) made 8 of 13 shots in the third quarter, including 4 of 5 from long distance, in turning a 19-14 halftime deficit into a 38-31 advantage.

“At halftime, it was just a five-point game, and things hadn’t been going our way,” Regals Coach Mary Rogers said. “We were pretty composed in the locker room. We just needed to keep playing.

“Nothing really changed in the second half; we just starting putting the ball in the cup.”

They did, and the reward is a regional-final date with No. 13 Mediapolis (21-2) — a 51-26 winner over Louisa-Muscatine — Wednesday at Muscatine.

The winner advances to the state tournament, Feb. 28-March 5 at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines.

This will be the Regals’ third straight regional final under Rogers. They lost to Cascade in 2020, to West Branch last year.

The Bears finished 15-8. They held a 22-14 lead early in the third quarter before Regina stormed back.

With the Regals trailing 26-20, Alli Clark hit a 3-pointer. Then it was Morgan Miller, for Regina’s first lead of the second half, 28-26.

Clark hit another for a 31-29 advantage. Then, at the horn, Gaarde made the shot of the night, which caromed off the corner of the backboard and through the net for a 38-31 lead.

“Even when they were coming back, I thought we were OK,” Bears Coach Jarod Tylee said. “Then (Gaarde) hit that, and it was huge. From a four-point game to seven, in this kind of game, it was huge.”

The Regals maintained a lead of five points or more throughout the fourth quarter. Gaarde and Clark combined to convert all eight of their free-throw tries in the final 5:11.

“A lot of the time, we’re not great free-throw shooters,” Clark said. “But we stuck them tonight.”

Regina entered the game at 56.7 percent from the line, but was 14 of 16 Friday.

Gaarde led all scorers with 14 points. Clark added 13, Miller 10, Lily Simpson eight points and six rebounds.

August Palmer paced West Branch with 12 points. Sadie Smith made all five of her shots and tallied 10, and Delaynie Luneckas provided eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocks.

Friday’s meeting was the fourth postseason encounter between the teams in the past five years. The Regals have won three of the four.

Iowa City Regina 48, West Branch 40

Class 2A Regional Semifinal, at Regina

WEST BRANCH (40): Alyse Klinkkammer 0-1 0-0 0, Kylie Pickett 2-4 0-0 6, Delaynie Luneckas 3-11 2-2 8, August Palmer 5-12 1-1 12, Avery Schultes 2-4 0-2 4, Sadie Smith 5-5 0-0 10, Madelyn Stout0-1 0-0 0, Iva Senio 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-38 3-5 40.

IOWA CITY REGINA (48): Alli Dillon1-6 1-1 3, Grace Gaarde 2-4 8-8 14, Morgan Miller 4-7 0-1 10, Alli Clark 3-10 5-6 13, Lily Simpson 4-10 0-0 8, Hope Simpson 0-3 0-0 0, Gabby Sueppel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-41 14-16 48.

West Branch 6 13 12 9 -- 40

Iowa City Regina 10 4 24 10 -- 48

3-point goals: West Branch 3-9 (Pickett 2-4, Luneckas 0-1, Palmer 1-4), Regina 6-15 (Dillon 0-2, Gaarde 2-3, Miller 2-4, Clark 2-5, H. Simpson 0-1). Team fouls: West Branch 15, Regina 11. Fouled out: Palmer. Rebounds: West Branch 27 (Luneckas 10), Regina 24 (L. Simpson 6). Assists: West Branch 8 (Luneckas 6), Regina 9 (Miller 4). Steals: West Branch 6 (Pickett, Palmer 2), Regina 4 (Clark 2). Turnovers: West Branch 16, Regina 12

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com