Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Regina has a roster full of guys capable of filling it up.

First-year head coach Jared Galpin rattled off that list of players putting up big point totals on Tuesday after watching four Regals score in double figures.

“That’s what we stress is that any night it could be Masen (Miller), it could be Even (Brauns), it could be Jocoa (Kerschen) it could be Jake (Phillips) or it could be Zach (Seaman),” Galpin said. “It could be any of those guys on any given night.”

Seven Regals have scored in double figures this season and four different players have scored 20 or more points in a game.

The offensive numbers for Regina are solid but it has been the Regals’ defense that has sparkled of late.  

Regina (14-3) is allowing just 36.8 points per game during its current six-game winning streak and hasn’t allowed more than 48 points in a game during that stretch.

“We’ve just really stressed focusing on the execution of our offense in the half court and guarding,” Galpin said. “We can always focus on our defense.”

Regina won five straight games to open the season, while holding opponents to 41.6 points per game.

The Regals followed with a 3-3 stretch in which its defensive average swelled to 57.7 points per contest.

Regina had losses to 3A third-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier (81-52) and 2A No. 3 Cascade (69-50) that contributed to those high scoring against averages.

However, there is no disputing an extra attention to defense over the last few weeks has played a role in allowing 42 points or less in five of six games.

“We are really starting to lock guys down on defense,” Miller said. “We still have to work on our rebounding but once that comes I think we will be really good all the way around.”

Opponents are shooting a combined 34 percent from the field against Regina over the last six games and no team has shot better than 41 percent.

During that six-game stretch that includes a 52-44 upset of then eighth-ranked Northeast the Regals have held five teams under their season scoring average. “

“We are definitely focusing on playing defense and it’s really good to have everyone come together,” Brauns said.

Moore Sets CCA Single Game Scoring Mark

It hasn’t taken Darius Moore to catch on to the Clear Creek Amana/Williamsburg rivalry.

Moore scored a then career-high 34 points in his first ever meeting with Williamsburg and followed it up by pouring in a school-record 41 points in a 73-70 win over the Raiders on Tuesday.

The 41 points from Moore broke the previous record of 39 set by Clay Miller on February 4 2011 against Vinton-Shellsburg.

A 6-foot-2 senior guard, Moore is averaging a team-high 19.6 points for Clear Creek Amana this season.

Liberty High’s Poulsen Heating Up

Liberty High junior Iziah Poulsen has picked the right time to start heating up.

Poulsen scored career-highs in back-to-back games, pouring in 23 points in a lost to City High before exploding for 33 points in a win over Washington on Tuesday.

The 5-foot-10 Poulsen shot 74 percent (20-27) from the field and was 8-of-11 from 3-point game in the two best scoring games of his career.

Poulsen ranks second on the team with 10.3 points per game on the season.

Class 3A and 4A Substate Assignments  

The road to an eighth consecutive state tournament appearance for top-ranked West High will feature at least one regular season rematch and could require a third win this season over two different opponents.

West High (13-2) was paired with four other Mississippi Valley Conference squads in Class 4A, Substate 5 when the Iowa High School Athletic Association announced postseason pairings for Class 3A and 4A last week.

The top-ranked Trojans are joined by MVC foes City High (4-12), Cedar Rapids Prairie, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Washington as well as Ottumwa.

West High has already defeated Prairie and City High twice this season and is the only team in Substate 5 currently with a winning record.

In Class 3A Solon (11-7) and Liberty High (6-12) each landed in Substate 5 with Fairfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Washington, West Liberty and No. 2 Mount Pleasant.

Clear Creek Amana (6-10) will compete in Substate 3 along with third-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier, Vinton-Shellsburg, South Tama, Independence, Grinnell, Center Point-Urbana and Benton Community.

Performances of the Week

Solon senior Luke Ira had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four steals in a 59-57 win over Anamosa.

West Branch Sophomore Tanner Lukavsky had 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals in a 62-51 win over North Cedar.

City High junior Antonio Turner had 21 points and four assists in a 65-63 win over Liberty High.

Liberty High junior Iziah Poulsen had 33 points and six assists in a 62-54 win over Washington.

Solon sophomore AJ Coons had 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting in a 66-61 win over Dyersville Beckman.