Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Clear Creek Amana had to wait a year for an opportunity to atone for a disappointing quarterfinal loss at the 2023 state tournament.

364 days to be exact.

After a 31-point quarterfinal loss last season the Clippers got redemption and the first state tournament win in program history on Tuesday with a 68-30 win over Gilbert in a Class 4A quarterfinal at Wells Fargo Arena.

“The monkey is off our back and now we just want to win two more games,” Sweeney said. “I wasn’t really thinking it that way but it’s nice to get down here and get that first win at state.”

Just a few days after making amends for its opening-round loss from a year ago the Clippers get an opportunity for revenge against the team that end its season a year ago.

Top-ranked Clear Creek Amana (24-0) will face fifth-ranked North Polk (23-2) in a 4A semifinal on Thursday at 5 p.m.

North Polk is seeking a second consecutive trip to the 4A title game after finishing runner-up at year ago.

Last year’s title game run for the Comets began with a 61-30 win over Clear Creek Amana in the quarterfinals.

“We get an opportunity to play the team that beat us by a lot last year,” Clear Creek Amana senior Bliss Beck said. “They are a great team and we will be ready for that.”

While Clear Creek Amana cruised to the semifinals with a 68-30 win over Gilbert on Tuesday North Polk outlasted defending 4A champion Dallas-Center Grimes 48-42 in a title game rematch.

North Polk outscored Dallas Center-Grimes 24-13 in the second half of Tuesday’s quarterfinal while avenging a season-opening loss to the Mustangs.

The Comets bring a 16-game winning streak into Thursday’s semifinal against a red-hot Clear Creek Amana team seeking its first ever title game appearance.

Clear Creek Amana shot 55 percent in its quarterfinal win over Gilbert and had four players scored at least 12 points.

“It’s been our goal to get to the championship game since the beginning of the year,” Beck said. “It’s important for us to keep going but to take it one game at a time.”

Thursday’s quarterfinal has all the makings of a classic.

North Polk is led by junior all-stater Abby Tuttle who averages 15.4 points, 4.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Juniors Greta Dillinger (8.6 points) and Becca Aagard (7.9 points, 6.8 rebounds) are among five Comets that average at least 6.7 points per game.

Tuttle had 13 points in the quarterfinal win over Dallas Center-Grimes and Aagard had 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

Clear Creek Amana may be the most complete team in the 4A field and showed that in its quarterfinal win.

Sophomore Averie Lower had a game-high 17 points and seven rebounds, Beck had 16 points and five rebounds and Ava Locklear had 14 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists.

Senior Sam Schrage had 12 points, two blocks and two steals.

“We gained a lot of confidence this year,” Schrage said. “We love playing together and we worked really hard in the offseason and it’s nice to see all that pay off.”

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