Crompton fuels Regina to 2A quarterfinal win

DES MOINES — Sometimes, you just know.

'You can ask any shooter,' Mary Crompton said. 'They know when the ball is going in, and they know when it's not. When it comes off your hand, you know.'

And when Crompton was providing duel daggers after Manson-Northwest Webster had pulled close, she knew.

Crompton started back-pedaling before her last triple split the net, providing an exclamation point on a 27-point masterpiece as second-rated Iowa City Regina defeated No. 7 MNW, 59-47, in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the girls' state basketball tournament Tuesday morning at Wells Fargo Arena.

The sophomore hit 9 of 15 shots, including 5 of 8 from long distance. That helped stake Regina (25-0) to a shiny 55-percent field-goal rate.

'We got an extra 10 minutes before the game, and it gave us some extra time to practice shots we need to take,' Crompton said. 'And in the game, I got some open looks.'

Regina will face No. 3 Unity Christian in a semifinal at 3:15 p.m. Thursday. The defending-champion Knights (23-1) downed West Branch, 52-33, Monday night.

'I'm kind of a negative person; I think the girls will tell you that,' Regals Coach Matt Bolger said. '(Unity) has a lot of size, but I've asked our kids all year to believe.'

Crompton kicked Regina into gear early, scoring 13 points in the first quarter, including 11 in a four-minute tear as the Regals stretched a 7-6 lead to 20-13 by the end of the period.

'We knew this game was going to be hard, so it was good to get off to a fast start,' said Sarah Lehman, aho added 14 points and six rebounds.

The margin got as large as 12 on Cammy Verducci's 3-pointer. It was 36-25 at intermission.

MNW squeezed within 47-42 and had an opportunity to get closer, but Rebecca Krueger missed a 3-pointer, then Crompton hit two in a row to stretch the lead back to 11.

Despite its smallish stature, Regina compiled a 29-19 rebounding advantage. Kennedy Brown snared 12 boards.

Cloie Herzberg led MNW with 17 points and eight rebounds. Faith Troshynski added 15 points.

IOWA CITY REGINA 59, MANSON-NW WEBSTER 47 (Class 2A State Quarterfinal)

At Des Moines

MANSON-NW WEBSTER (47): Emma Rae Snell 1-3 0-0 3, Faith Troshynski 5-13 3-3 15, Cloie Herzberg 5-14 3-4 17, Brenna Peters 1-3 0-0 2, Rebecca Krueger 2-7 0-0 4, Emily Wubben 0-0 0-0 0, Kourtney Condon 0-0 0-0 0, Sophie Herzberg 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor Wood 3-3 0-2 6. Totals 17-44 6-9 47.

IOWA CITY REGINA (59): Mary Crompton 9-15 4-4 27, Sarah Lehman 6-11 2-3 14, Kennedy Brown 2-4 2-4 6, Greyson Dumont 1-3 0-0 2, Cammy Verducci 2-5 0-0 6, Lauren Gaarde 2-2 0-0 4, Katie Dunn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-40 8-11 59.

Halftime: Regina 36, MNW 25. 3-point goals: MNW 7-15 (Snell 1-3, Troshynski 2-4, C.Herzberg 4-6, Peters 0-1, S.Herzberg 0-1), Regina 7-12 (Crompton 5-8, Dumont 0-1, Verducci 2-3). Team fouls: MNW 15, Regina 14. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: MNW 19 (C.Herzberg 8), Regina 29 (Brown 12). Assists: MNW 12 (C.Herzberg 4), Regina 13 (Brown 7). Steals: MNW 7 (Troshynski 3), Regina 9 (Verducci 4). Turnovers: MNW 16, Regina 18.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com