Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Eight teams have already secured spots at the girls state basketball tournament with Class 3A regional final winners the first to lock up trips to Des Moines.

On Tuesday 16 more teams will celebrate a spot at the state tournament as Class 4A and 5A regional finals are held around the state.

Three Your Prep Sports area teams are among those battling for a spot in Des Moines on Tuesday.

Here is a quick look at the Tuesday regional finals that featuring area teams.

Class 5A, Region 1

Dubuque Hempstead (14-9) at No. 2 City High (21-1)

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: City High

Top players: City High – Aubrey Joens, 5-9, Sr., 20.2 points, 4.8 rebounds; Rose Nkumu, 5-8, Sr., 14.6 points, 5.8 assists. Dubuque Hempstead – Riley Kay, 6-0, Sr., 16 points, 6.7 rebounds; Corinne Meier, 6-0, Jr., 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds.

About the Little Hawks: The three seniors on the City High roster are seeking to close out their careers with a fourth consecutive trip to the state tournament. City High’s senior trio of Rose Nkumu, Aubrey Joens and Paige Rocca have helped the Little Hawks post an 87-7 record over the past four seasons and have been at their best this year.

The senior trio averages 45.6 points per game for second-ranked City High, accounting for nearly 63 percent of the Little Hawks’ offensive output.

City High scored a season-low 39 points in a loss to Waukee in the regular season finale but bounced back with a 72-32 win over Liberty High in its postseason opener in which it made nine 3-pointers and shot 43 percent from the field.  

About the Mustangs: Dubuque Hempstead upset second-seeded Bettendorf 52-47 in the Regional semifinal to move one win away from the first state tournament appearance in program history. Standing in the way is second-ranked City High who handed the Mustangs an 80-38 loss in Dubuque back in December.

Hempstead has been a different team since the December 10 loss to City High that dropped the Mustangs to 0-4 on the season.

After four straight losses to open the season Hempstead has gone 14-5 down the stretch and has won 10 of its last 12 games and four straight entering the regional final.

The Mustangs rely heavily on the front court production of 6-foot senior Riley Kay and 6-0 junior Corinne Meier.

Kay and Meier combine to average 24.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game and had 31 points and 16 rebounds in the semifinal win over Bettendorf.

What to Watch: City High is at its best when it moves the ball and shares the wealth on offense. That was exactly how the Little Hawks played in a 42-point win over Dubuque Hempstead back in December.

City High had five players in double figures in the 80-38 regular season win over Hempstead, shot 51 percent from the floor and had seven different players combine to make 14 3-pointers.

The Little Hawks had 19 assists on 30 made field goals in that win.

If City High can play the game at the frantic pace it prefers, shares and shoots the ball like it can there aren’t many teams in the state that can stay with the Little Hawks.

Class 5A, Region 5

No. 14 West High (14-9) at No. 7 Southeast Polk (18-4)

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Southeast Polk High School  

Top players: West High – Audrey Koch 5-10, Jr., 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds; Matayia Tellis, 5-5, Jr., 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds. Southeast Polk – Grace Larkins, 5-10, Jr., 22 points, 4 assists; Brooklin Dailey, 6-0, Fr., 11.1 points, 4 rebounds.

About the Women of Troy: In what has become a trademark of long-time coach BJ Mayer, West High is once again playing its best basketball at the end of the season. West High brings a four-game winning streak into the regional final that includes a win over 4A second-ranked Marion to close the regular season and a 56-54 overtime upset of No. 10 West Des Moines Valley in the Region 5 semifinal.  

The semifinal win over West Des Moines Valley avenged a 33-point regular season loss to the Tigers and moved West High one win away from a third trip to the state tournament in four seasons.

Junior Audrey Koch is the offensive go-to option for West High averaging 18.5 points per game but it has been the play of junior point guard Matayia Tellis that has sparked the Women of Troy’s postseason run.

Tellis is averaging 8.5 points, 10 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3 steals in back-to-back regional wins.

About the Rams: The defending 5A runner-up Rams are seeking a return to the state tournament after falling to West Des Moines Valley in the state title game last season.

Southeast Polk opened the season 17-1 with a home loss to top-ranked Waukee the only blemish closed the regular season by losing consecutive games by an average of better than 14 points.

The Rams stopped their skid with a 64-35 win over Linn-Mar in the Region 5 semifinals on Saturday.

Southeast Polk relies heavily on all-stater Grace Larkins who ranks third in 5A in scoring at 22 points per game while shooting nearly 55 percent from the floor and also leads the Rams in assists and steals.

The key for Southeast Polk may be the play of 6-foot freshman Brooklin Dailey who has scored in double figures in four straight games.

What to Watch: The first eight minutes of the game are going to be critical for West High which is making a second 100-mile road trip in four days.

West High has outscored two postseason opponents 24-16 in the opening quarter after playing West Des Moines Valley to a 10-10 draw after eight minutes on Saturday.

Conversely the Women of Troy were outscored 38-7 in the opening quarter of its final two losses of the regular season to Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids Washington.

The longer the game is tight on Tuesday the more the pressure turns to seventh-ranked Southeast Polk and Mayer-coach teams have long fed off the energy that comes with being a perceived postseason underdog.

Class 4A, Region 6

No. 15 Clear Creek Amana (18-4) at No. 2 Marion (21-1)

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Marion

Top players: Clear Creek Amana – Karsyn Stratton, 5-8 Sr., 21.1 points, 5.4 rebounds; Calia Clubb, 6-0, Soph., 9 points, 8.2 rebounds. Marion – Kayba Laube, 5-9, Sr., 21.5 points, 2.4 steals; Riley Wright, 5-10, Jr., 13.9 points, 5.4 assists.

About the Indians: For the past five seasons few teams in the state have had as much success as Marion.

The Indians have reached the state tournament four consecutive seasons, playing in the 4A title game three times during that span and winning a state title in 2018.
Marion owns a 114-10 record since the start of the 2015-2016 season and hasn’t lost more than two games in a season in any of the previous four seasons.

The dominance from Marion has continued this season with the lone loss coming in the regular season finale against Class 5A No. 14 West High.
Marion is 59-1 at home over the past five seasons and had a 63-game winning streak end with its loss to West High in the regular season finale.  

Senior Kayba Laube ranks fourth in Class 4A with 21.5 points per game and her 86 made 3-pointers are the most in the state this season.

A 46 percent 3-point shooter on the season, Laube is averaging 27.5 points while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range (22-44) over the last four games.  

About the Clippers: A season that already ranks among the best in program history would instantly become the best ever at Clear Creek Amana if the Clippers can reach the state tournament for the first time.

Clear Creek Amana opens red-hot, winners of 13 of its last 14 games and coming off a semifinal win over Pella in which it shot 64 percent from the field and scored a season-high 75 points.

Clear Creek Amana has proved it can play with the best teams in 4A, a claim backed up with a 49-48 road win over fifth-ranked Center Point-Urbana earlier this month.

To reach the state tournament for the first time the Clippers will need to prove it against a Marion team that has been the gold standard in 4A over the past five seasons.

Stratton leads the way for Clear Creek Amana ranking fifth in 4A in scoring at 21.1 points per game but the senior guard has had plenty of help as of late.

Senior Meagan Harvey hit a school-record eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 26 points in the win over Pella and Clubb is averaging 11 points and 9 rebounds per game over the past three games.

What to Watch: Led by Northern Iowa recruits Laube and junior Riley Wright the backcourt is certainly a strength for Marion.

However, the key to Clear Creek Amana pulling an upset on Tuesday could come in the Clippers ability to control the Indians on the glass.

Marion held a 44-24 rebounding edge over Clear Creek Amana in a 59-30 win over the Clippers in December.

The 44 rebounds for Marion included 17 offensive rebounds. That is far too many second chance opportunities for a team as good as Marion.

Clear Creek Amana must hold its own on the glass on Tuesday which will need to be a team effort.

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