Tuesday’s best: 5 area girls’ basketball regional games to watch (2A/1A quarterfinals, Feb. 12, 2024)

The girls’ basketball series between Cascade and Dyersville Beckman has been decidedly pro-Cougars.

Except in the postseason. Lately, anyway.

The underdog Blazers ended the Cougars’ season in 2021, then did it again in 2023. Those are two of Beckman’s three wins against its Dubuque County rival, against 12 losses, in the past decade.

Those two teams meet again in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal Tuesday. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Cascade High School.

The 11th-ranked Cougars (14-6) edged Beckman (8-14) twice this season.

Here are the area’s five best games of the night (2A and 1A quarterfinals), all of which tip off at 7 p.m.:

East Buchanan (15-7) at Edgewood-Colesburg (17-4)

Class 1A Region 1

Ed-Co carries an eight-game winning streak, and the Vikings topped East Buchanan in a pair of competitive Tri-Rivers West Division encounters, 63-57 and 60-51. Ed-Co senior Audrie Helmrichs averages a double-double (15.8 points, 12.2 rebounds) and shoots at a 58.5-percent clip from the floor. East Buchanan has won five of its last six, including a 63-40 first-round win over Turkey Valley. Bucs junior Laynee Hogan (16.7 ppg) is among the area leaders in assists (4.8 per game) and steals (5.3).

Elkader Central (15-6) at Lansing Kee (17-5)

Class 1A Region 1

Add these two teams to the East Buchanan/Ed-Co game listed above, and that makes for a balanced bottom bracket to this region, in which anybody could emerge to face No. 1 North Linn (probably) in the regional final. They split their season series, and tied for second place in the Upper Iowa Conference, a game behind MFL MarMac. Kee is one of the most improved teams in the area, increasing its win count by 12 from last year, and the Hawks have done it with a startlingly young roster. Central is 10-1 since the holiday break.

Danville (17-4) at Lone Tree (19-3)

Class 1A Region 7

Lone Tree is the champion of the Southeast Iowa Superconference North Division. The Lions dropped their last two regular-season games, but blitzed Winfield-Mount Union, 73-14, in the first round of regionals. Danville advanced with a 65-55 win over Burlington Notre Dame. Led by sophomore Finley Jacque (16.0 ppg), all of Lone Tree’s top five scorers are juniors and sophs. Danville has followed an 0-4 start with 17 consecutive wins and shared the SEISC South title with Fort Madison Holy Trinity.

Dyersville Beckman (8-14) at No. 11 Cascade (14-6)

Class 2A Region 4

Cascade earned 44-40 and 43-38 regular-season victories over Beckman. The second was an overtime ordeal in which the Cougars rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Junior Molly Roling and sophomore Addison Frake are the Cougars’ top weapons at 13.3 and 11.1 points, respectively. Beckman counters with a senior duo of Reese Osterhaus (13.8 ppg) and Kaylee Lehmann (9.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg).

Sumner-Fredericksburg (12-9) at MFL MarMac (14-7)

Class 2A Region 1

A mammoth challenge — a semifinal voyage to No. 1 Dike-New Hartford, the three-time defending champion — most likely awaits the winner. The champion of the Upper Iowa Conference, MFL MarMac must contend with Sumner-Fredericksburg post Isabelle Elliott, who converts 61 percent of her shots and averages 21.1 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs were 14-2 in league play, 0-5 outside the UIC.

Tuesday’s Class 2A Regional Quarterfinals

(All games 7 p.m.)

Region 1

Waterloo Columbus (6-16) at No. 1 Dike-New Hartford (19-2)

Sumner-Fredericksburg (12-9) at MFL MarMac (14-7)

South Winneshiek (7-15) at Aplington-Parkersburg (17-4)

Hudson (12-10) at Jesup (16-5)

Region 4

Durant (10-12) at No. 6 Iowa City Regina (17-4)

Bellevue (7-12) at Maquoketa Valley (13-8)

Dyersville Beckman (8-14) at No. 11 Cascade (14-6)

Alburnett (9-12) at Northeast (14-8)

Tuesday’s Class 1A Regional Quarterfinals

(All games 7 p.m.)

Region 1

Bellevue Marquette (11-12) at No. 1 North Linn (20-1)

Midland (15-8) at Dunkerton (17-5)

East Buchanan (15-7) at Edgewood-Colesburg (17-4)

Elkader Central (15-6) at Lansing Kee (17-5)

Region 2

Fort Dodge St. Edmond (5-16) at No. 2 Newell-Fonda (19-2)

Ackley AGWSR (11-9) at Conrad BCLUW (14-8)

Garwin GMG (11-10) at No. 13 Coon Rapids-Bayard (18-3)

North Tama (10-10) at HLV (10-9)

Region 3

Seymour (8-11) at No. 6 Martensdale-St. Marys (15-6)

Sigourney (18-4) vs. Melcher-Dallas (18-3), at Liberty Center

Bedford (10-12) at No. 12 Fremont-Mills (21-0)

Mount Ayr (15-6) at Lamoni (15-5)

Region 7

Easton Valley (10-12) at No. 7 Calamus-Wheatland (21-1)

North Cedar (5-18) at Springville (17-6)

Iowa Valley (11-12) at No. 11 Lynnville-Sully (18-3)

Danville (17-4) at Lone Tree (19-3)

Region 8

WACO (13-9) at No. 9 Montezuma (17-4)

English Valleys (14-8) at No. 15 Fort Madison Holy Trinity (19-2)

Orient-Macksburg (11-10) at No. 8 Anita CAM (19-2)

Wayne (12-10) at Mormon Trail (12-6)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com