CPU routs West Marshall, returns to girls' state basketball semifinals

DES MOINES — On the inside was a typical jittery freshman.

'I was so nervous,' Ryley Goebel said.

On the outside was a blossoming star who played far beyond her years.

Goebel came off the bench to score 19 points and grab six rebounds and six steals — all in 17 minutes — as third-ranked Center Point-Urbana plastered West Marshall, 67-31, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the girls' state basketball tournament Tuesday morning at Wells Fargo Arena.

The Stormin' Pointers (22-2) advanced to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. They'll face No. 5 Des Moines Christian (23-2) at 3:15 Thursday afternoon.

And they gave the other three 3A survivors something to sweat about.

CPU forced West Marshall (14-8) into 30 turnovers.

'This is a business trip for us,' said Rylee Clark, one of four senior starters. 'We're not here to mess around.'

That's how they played, with focus and with a destructive press that befuddled the Trojans on the way to a 30-point halftime margin.

When Goebel was in, she was at the point of that press. Put her with Adrianna Katcher and Callyn Fox, all of whom are just a shade under 6 feet, and that's more length than seems fair.

CPU didn't score for the first two minutes, but once the Stormin' Pointers broke the ice, there was no stopping them. Their press led to numerous layups in a 17-0 run that extended the lead to 29-5, and it was 41-11 at intermission.

'We just wanted to get their tempo going and make them rush a little bit,' CPU Coach Philip Klett said. 'Once we got going, we were able to make them take tough shots, and we were able to get some easy baskets.'

All 12 players scored for CPU. Katcher added 17 points.

The Stormin' Pointers reached the 3A semifinals in 2016 and 2017. They moved up a class and advanced to the 4A semis last year.

Three starters graduated from the 2018 team, but no matter; CPU's back in familiar territory, aiming to push farther than the previous teams.

'This is a program that's really successful,' Katcher said. 'It's all due to the coaches.

'We were able to predict where the ball was going, and we need to keep doing that to be successful.'

Kayla Cripps led West Marshall with 13 points before fouling out.

CENTER POINT-URBANA 67, WEST MARSHALL 31

3A State Quarterfinal, at Des Moines

WEST MARSHALL (31): Avril Sinning 0-2 1-3 1, Kayla Cripps 5-14 3-6 13, Karlyn Snider 3-9 3-7 9, Teresa Disney 1-4 0-0 2, Grace Girard 1-2 1-2 3, Sadie Clark 0-0 0-0 0, Eliza Girard 0-0 0-0 0, Grace deNeui 0-0 0-0 0, Delaney Nichols 0-0 0-0 0, Avery Randall 0-0 0-0 0, Jaiden Hart 0-1 0-0 0, Abby Green 0-0 0-0 0, Kate Breja 0-0 0-0 0, Sarah Pierce 0-0 0-0 0, Renae Schaper 0-1 3-4 3. Totals 10-33 11-22 31.

CENTER POINT-URBANA (67): Adrianna Katcher 6-10 3-4 17, Karly Millikin 1-3 0-2 2, Rylee Clark 2-6 0-0 5, Madie Willson 2-3 0-1 4, Callyn Fox 2-10 0-2 4, Hannah Kress 1-1 2-2 4, Chloe Neighbor 1-2 0-0 2, Bryn Hadsall 1-4 1-2 3, Peyton Kriegel 1-1 2-2 5, Ryley Goebel 9-11 1-3 19, Lauren Dufoe 0-0 1-5 1, Claire Neighbor 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 26-53 11-25 67.

Halftime: CPU 41, West Marshall 11. 3-point goals: West Marshall 0-6 (Sinning 0-2, Snyder 0-3, Hart 0-1), CPU 4-14 (Katcher 2-5, Millikin 0-1, Clark 1-5, Willson 0-1, Hadsall 0-1, Kriegel 1-1). Team fouls: West Marshall 21, CPU 20. Fouled out: Cripps. Rebounds: West Marshall 29 (Disney 9), CPU 31 (Clark 7). Assists: West Marshall 3 (three with 1), CPU 15 (Willson 4). Steals: West Marshall 7 (Cripps, Snider 2), CPU 20 (Goebel 6). Turnovers: West Marshall 30, CPU 13.

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