PURCHASE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME

Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Regina knows what it feels like to have its season end at the hands of West Branch.

One year after being denied a trip to the state tournament in a regional final loss to the Bears, the Class 2A sixth-ranked Regals found themselves trailing at halftime.

The locker room message was simple.

Not this time.

“That was a big motivation for us,” Regina junior guard Grace Gaarde said after the Regals rallied used a 34-point second half to upend West Branch, 48-40, in a girls’ basketball regional semifinal at Regina High School. “We knew last year the season came to an end because of this. This is such an important game to us and we didn’t want it to happen again. We wanted to keep going.”

Regina (19-4) has now won 10 of its last 11 games, including all three meetings with West Branch this season.

The first half was a bit of an offensive quagmire for the Regals.

After opening the game with 10 of the game’s first 14 points, Regina managed just four points over the last quarter and a half of action and trailed, 19-14, at halftime.

“It was kind of chaotic and ugly,” third-year Regina Coach Mary Rogers said. “All year long, we have just tried to show resilience and just make plays, play defense, keep grinding. That was kind of the chat at half and they took it.”

And ‘took it’ Regina did. The Regals exploded for 24 third-quarter points, highlighted by a banked three-pointer at the horn from Gaarde that provided her team with a 38-31 advantage after three frames.

“They made some threes,” West Branch Coach Jarod Tylee said. “We kind of gave their shooters a little bit too much space and they made some threes. Even when they went on that little run, I don’t want to call it the backbreaker, but that banked-in three at the buzzer kind of, because that is a big difference. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it takes it from a four-point game going into the fourth quarter where, maybe as the underdog in us, you keep the game tight, it tightens them up a little bit and maybe it turns a little bit.”

The fourth quarter was largely a free-throw shooting exhibition by Regina, which converted 14 of its 16 attempts in the game.

The Regals’ one basket from the floor in the final stanza arrived courtesy of freshman Morgan Miller, whose running teardrop shot in the paint gave Regina its largest lead at 42-33 with 4:21 to go.

“She is an amazing player and such a big asset to our team,” Gaarde said. “And especially knowing that we will have her next year, too, and Regina will have her for years to come. It is so good to know that. We are all so thankful for her. We love her so much.”

Miller finished with 10 points, one of three Regals that scored in double figures.

Gaarde led all scorers with 14, while sophomore Alli Clark chipped in 13.

Of the trio’s 37 combined points, all but eight were delivered after halftime.

“We really knew we needed to step it up,” Clark said. “We knew they were a good team and that we would have to be hitting shots. Just play as a team together.”

With 12 points, freshman August Palmer led the way for West Branch, which ended its season at 15-8.

Regina will travel to Muscatine on Wednesday and face No. 13 Mediapolis (21-2) in a regional final.

Win there, and the Regals earn an eighth trip to the state tournament and first since 2018.

“We just need to start off stronger in the first half,” Clark said. “Just stay composed and don’t worry if the shots aren’t going. Just keep playing. Keep playing good defense.”

West Branch                6  13 12   9   –  40

Regina                          10   4  24  10  –  48

West Branch (40) – Alyse Klinkkammer 0 0-0 0, Kylie Pickett 2 0-0 6, Delaynie Luneckas 3 2-2 8, August Palmer 5 1-1 12, Avery Schultes 2 0-2 4, Sadie Smith 5 0-0 10, Madelyn Stout 0 0-0 0, Iva Senio 0 0-0 0, Kya Montgomery 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 3-5 40.

Regina (48) – Alli Dillon 1 1-1 3, Grace Gaarde 2 8-8 14, Morgan Miller 4 0-1 10, Alli Clark 3 5-6 13, Lily Simpson 4 0-0 8, Morgan Squiers 0 0-0 0, Gabby Sueppel 0 0-0 0, Hope Simpson 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 14-16 48.

Three-point goals – West Branch 3 (Pickett 2, Palmer 1), Iowa City Regina 6 (Miller 2, Gaarde 2, Clark 2). Rebounds – West Branch 20 (Luneckas 8), Iowa City Regina 20 (Simpson 7). Fouled out – Palmer.

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