Regina’s run ends in the Class 2A semifinals, 51-45 to Hinton

DES MOINES — Years pass by. Players come and go.

The good times — the really good times — those are fleeting.

“You don’t get teams like this often,” Iowa City Regina Coach Mary Rogers said after the second-ranked Regals lost a toughie to No. 3 Hinton, 51-45, in a Class 2A semifinal at the girls’ state basketball tournament Friday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

“These girls are a mess right now, because they love each other so much.”

Hinton’s Sydney Doeschot scored 24 points, including the last six of the game, as the Blackhawks (26-0) broke a 45-45 tie and advanced.

They’ll face No. 5 Central Lyon (21-4) in an all-Northwest Iowa 2A final at 4:45 p.m. Saturday.

“So excited for tomorrow,” Doeschot said. “I had some opportunities to score. The opportunities came to me.”

The key figure in this one was rebounding: Hinton owned the glass by a 46-27 margin.

“It’s always an emphasis,” Doeschot said. “We have to win the rebounding battle and the turnover battle, and today we won the rebounding battle.”

Doeschot scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. Her conventional three-point play put the Blackhawks ahead for good, 48-45, with 1:34 to go.

Then it was a free throw for a three-point lead (0:32 left) and a breakaway layup in clinch it (0:25).

Regina retired at 24-2 despite 19 points from Addie McLaughlin.

The freshman hit her first five 3-point attempts, including a flurry in the second quarter. She nailed three of them in less than two minutes as the Regals closed the half with an 11-0 run for a 24-21 lead.

“I knew I had to shoot more. We were going to need it,” said McLaughlin, the Regals’ lone double-digits scorer with 19 points.

“It’s hard to lose this. I’m super grateful I got to play with this team.”

Hinton scored eight in a row early in the third quarter for a 29-25 lead, and it was back and forth for most of the rest of the game.

The Regals took a 37-36 lead on Caitlin Martin’s basket with 7:47 remaining, but that was their final time in front.

Ella McLaughlin’s 3-pointer tied it at 42-42, then Morgan Miller struck from deep to make it 45-45 with 2:44 left.

But the stretch run belonged to Doeschot and the Blackhawks.

Miller finished with nine points. She departs as Regina’s all-time leading scorer, and will play at Truman State next year.

“I’m grateful that I got to play for this program,” she said.

Hinton 51, Iowa City Regina 45

Class 2A State Semifinal, at Des Moines

HINTON (51): Addy Pigott 3-6 0-0 7, Karlyn Kovarna 1-7 1-4 4, Sydney Doeschot 9-19 4-5 24, Addison Glass 2-11 0-0 5, Raelyn Kempema 5-9 1-1 11, Keely Derochie 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-54 6-10 51.

IOWA CITY REGINA (45): Morgan Miller 3-14 1-2 9, Caitlin Martin 2-7 2-2 7, Ella McLaughlin 2-9 0-0 5, Addie McLaughlin 7-16 0-2 19, Adalee Klein 1-2 1-1 3, Ella Keune 0-1 1-2 1, Maggie Sueppel 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 15-49 6-11 45.

Hinton 14 7 15 15 — 51

Iowa City Regina 11 13 11 10 — 45

3-point goals: Hinton 5-15 (Pigott 1-2, Kovarna 1-2, Doeschot 2-5, Glass 1-5, Kempema 0-1), Regina 9-23 (Miller 2-7, Martin 1-3, E. McLaughlin 1-5, A. McLaughlin 5-7, Keune 0-1). Team fouls: Hinton 11, Regina 12. Fouled out: Klein. Rebounds: Hinton 46 (Kempema 14), Regina 27 (Miller, Martin 6). Assists: Hinton 10 (Doeschot 4), Regina 10 (Miller 4). Steals: Hinton 5 (Doeschot 2), Regina 9 (A. McLaughlin 5). Turnovers: Hinton 14, Regina 9.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com