Stein powers Regals to state tournament

INDEPENDENCE - Hannah Stein averaged a solid 8 points per game during Iowa City Regina's first 23 basketball games.

She scored a scintillating 18 last night to lead the Class 2A No. 12 Regals past No. 5 Dike-New Hartford, 42-29, in a regional final.

Regina (21-3) advances to next week's state tournament and faces No. 2 Western Christian (21-3) in the 2A quarterfinal round at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The other three 2A games are played on Monday.

Stein, the Regals' 5-foot-8 senior post, found gaps in Dike-New Hartford's 2-3 zone defense, which was anchored by 6-5 senior Brooke Morgan, a Wisconsin volleyball recruit.

'That's not usually my game. I usually stay on the block and get dished to,” said Stein, who scored 10 of Regina's 12 points in the third quarter, when the Regals stretched a four-point halftime lead to 32-24.

'We knew we didn't want to go to the block because nothing good was going to come from that,” Regina Coach Matt Bolger said. 'So (Stein) stayed up at the high post. She's a great shooter.

'We haven't used her up there as much as we could have and she really made them pay.”

Stein matched her scoring average by halftime.

'I think that's the best game I've seen her play,” Bolger said.

'I can't think of a better game I've had or a better outcome for it,” said Stein, who teamed with 5-8 junior Kennedy Brown to limit Morgan to six points and helped the Regals scrap and claw on the boards. Morgan grabbed 11 caroms.

'Early in the year we weren't physical at all. I think we've really bought in,” Bolger said.

Senior Lizzy Blough led Dike-New Hartford (22-3) with 13 points. She scored 10 in the first half.

Dike-New Hartford senior Briana Weber, a UNI volleyball recruit who averaged nearly 10 points and 5.5 rebounds, was not in uniform and missed her third straight game.