Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Matchups

No. 1 Hinton (20-1) vs. No. 9 West Lyon (17-7)

The Class 2A quarterfinals get started with a rematch of a regular season contest between a pair of Northwest Iowa powers.

West Lyon handed defending 2A champion Hinton its only loss of the season 45-44 back on December 4.

The two teams meet again with a spot in the state semifinals on the line.

Hinton returns to the state tournament for the second consecutive season after winning the first title in program history last season in its first trip to state since 2009.

With four starters returning from last year’s squad the Blackhawks are seeking a second consecutive title.

Hinton has won 18 in a row since its loss at West Lyon in December and has outscored opponents by an average of 43.2 points per game this season, the highest margin in the state.

The Blackhawks returned to state with a 46-38 win over No. 15 Earlham in the regional title game.

Senior Sydney Doeschot leads Hinton with 21.9 points, 5 assists and 4.8 steals per game.

Junior Addison Glass is averaging 11.2 points and 4 rebounds per game and junior Keely Derochie is averaging 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

West Lyon returns to the state tournament for the first time since making back-to-back trips in 2021 and 2022.

The Wildcats enter the state tournament with seven losses, the most in the 2A field but have faced a challenging schedule with four losses to 2A state qualifiers and two more losses to ranked 4A teams MOC-Floyd Valley and Sioux Center.

West Lyon was 5-4 after three consecutive losses in late December and January but has gone 12-3 since and has won eight of its last nine games including a 46-21 win over No. 11 Riverside in the regional title game.

Four players average at least eight points per game in a balanced West Lyon offensive attack led by sophomore Taya Christie at 14 points per game.

Junior Ava Carolan averages 11.6 points and freshman Belah Kramer averages 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Junior Kaitlyn Ter Wee averages 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

No. 4 Denver (22-2) vs. No. 5 Emmetsburg (23-2)  

Emmetsburg brings a 12-game winning streak into its first state tournament appearance since 1999 after a 64-43 win over No. 14 Maquoketa Valley in the regional title game.

The E-Hawks are unbeaten against Class 2A competition this season and have limited opponents to 32.7 points per game which ranks fifth best in 2A.

The two losses for Emmetsburg came by a combined nine points to a pair of  Class 3A state qualifiers.

Emmetsburg lost to ninth-ranked Cherokee 60-55 on December 2 and 46-42 at 3A seventh-ranked Forest City on January 12.

Senior Rachel Schany leads Emmetsburg with 21.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game.

Junior Dylan Fiene averages 13.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and a team-leading 3.9 assists per game for the E-Hawks.

Three players average at least 6 points per game, Nora Nelse (6.4), Calista Joyce (6) and Kylie Hoffman (6).

Denver returns to the state tournament for the first time since 2022 following an impressive regular season that featured just two losses to state qualifiers.

The Cyclones lone two losses came to 1A qualifier Dunkerton and Class 4A state qualifier Waverly-Shell Rock.

Denver returned to the state tournament with a 50-28 win over No. 13 Cascade in the regional title game.

The Cyclones have been among the best defensive teams in Class 2A this season ranking second in points allowed at 28.9.

Denver has held opponents under 30 points in 14 of 24 games this season.

Senior Mylee Thurm leads Denver with 13.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and senior Channing Johnson adds 11.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.

Senior Grace Mullihan averages 8.1 points and 4.8 assists and senior Bailey Mullihan adds 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

No. 2 Rock Valley (22-2) vs. No. 8 Regina (19-5)

Regina is making its fourth state tournament appearance in the past five seasons and second in a row after falling to eventual state champion Hinton in the 2A quarterfinals last season.

The five losses for Regina are the second most in the 2A field but the Regals have faced a challenging schedule with all five losses to ranked opponents from larger classes.

Regina returned to the state tournament with a 47-36 win over Grundy Center in the regional title game and allowed just 31 points per game in three postseason wins.

Sophomore point guard Addie McLaughlin leads Regina in points (22.4), assists (6.3) and steals (4.9) per game and ranks second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per contest.

Junior Adalee Klein averages 11 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game and freshman Jada Wiltz averages 10.3 points and 2.6 steals per game.

Senior Ella Keune averages 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and senior Maggie Sueppel averages 4.5 points and 5 rebounds per contest.

Rock Valley returns to the state tournament for the second consecutive season after falling to Hinton in the quarterfinals a year ago.

The Rockets have been impressive this season ranking second in 2A in scoring with 67.8 points per game.

Leading the way for Rock Valley are senior twin sisters Hudsyn and Haevyn Ranschau.

Hudsyn Ranschau averages a team-high 23.6 points per game to go with 4.2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.6 steals.

Haevyn Ranschau averages 18.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

Led by the Ranshau sisters Rock Valley is one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the state.

The Rockets lead 2A in 3-pointers attempted (31.3) and made (11.4) per game and are shooting a 2A-best 36.4 percent from 3-point range.

The Ranschau sisters have combined to go 206-of-553 from 3-point range this season (37%).

Sophomore Caydence Harmsen is averaging 12.8 points, 6.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game for Rock Valley.

No. 3 Central Lyon (19-4) vs. No. 6 Treynor (21-2)

Central Lyon is making its fifth consecutive state tournament appearance still seeking its elusive second state title.

The Lions won the 1A title in its state tournament debut in 2013 and have reached the title game three times in the past four seasons but all ended with runner-up finishes.

Central Lyon fell to Hinton in the 2A title game 48-46 last season.

The Lions are geared up for another championship run this season.

Three of the four losses for Central Lyon this season have come to top-10 ranked teams from larger classes in 3A No. 10 Spirit Lake, 3A ninth-ranked Cherokee and 4A No. 10 Sioux Center.

The lone loss to a 2A team this season was a 58-39 loss at second-ranked Rock Valley on February 6.

Central Lyon also has a win over Rock Valley in December and swept a pair of regular season meetings with 2A qualifier West Lyon.

Four players average at least eight points per game for Central Lyon led by senior Danika Hoogendoorn who averages 15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

Sophomore Taylor Rypkema averages 15 points and 6.3 rebounds and senior Shyanne Struckman averages 8.5 points per game.

Treynor returns to the state tournament for the second consecutive season and falling to top-seeded Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the quarterfinals last season.

The lone in-state loss for Treynor this season was a 45-43 setback at No. 11 Riverside on January 9.

Since that loss the Cardinals have gone 12-1 including a 58-18 win over Riverside on Treynor on February 10.

Ella Thornton leads a balanced Treynor offense with 13 points per game while Nora Konz averages 11.8 points per game.

Sophomore Addison Mauer averages 11.1 points per game and senior Claire Schrage adds 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

The Players

Hinton: Sydney Doeschot, 5-7, Sr. – Doeschot is a returning first-team all-state selection, the captain of the 2025 all-tournament team and an Augustana recruit that has been one of the most productive players in Class 2A over the past three seasons. The senior point guard ranks fifth in 2A in scoring at 21.9 points per game to go with 5 assists, 4.8 steals and 4 rebounds per game.

West Lyon: Taya Christie, 5-11, Soph. – Christie averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last season as a freshman but has exploded as a sophomore leading the Wildcats with 14 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor including 43 percent from 3-point range.

Denver: Mylee Thurm, 6-0, Sr. – A third-team all-state selection last season Thurm has been even better as a senior this season leading the Cyclones with 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game while shooting 55 percent from the field.

Emmetsburg: Rachel Schany, 5-11, Sr. – Schany has been sensational while helping the E-Hawks to their best season in more than two decades. The 2A state high jump champ last spring and a Northwestern College basketball recruit, Schany averages 21.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.9 steals, 1.7 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game while shooting 56 percent from the floor.

Rock Valley: Hudsyn Ranschau, 5-9, Sr. – A returning first-team all-state pick Ranschau ranks second and Class 2A and 11^th in the state in scoring at 23.6 points per game. A Northwestern College recruit, Ranschau leads the state with 109 made 3-pointers and averages 4.2 rebound, 4 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

Regina: Addie McLaughlin, 5-5, Soph. – After a strong debut season a year ago, McLaughlin has established herself as one of the top guards in the state with a stellar sophomore season in which she ranks fourth in 2A in scoring with 22.4 points per game while leading 2A with 6.3 assists per game. McLaughlin also averages 6.2 rebounds and 4.9 steals per game.

Central Lyon: Danika Hoogendoorn, 5-9, Sr. – Few players in Class 2A fill the stat sheet better than the versatile Hoogendoorn who averages 15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.1 steals per game. A Dordt College recruit, Hoogendoorn is shooting 52 percent from the floor and 74 percent from the free throw line.

Treynor: Ella Thornton, 5-11, Sr. – An Iowa Western recruit, Thornton has played an important role in the back-to-back state tournament trips for the Cardinals. Thornton averages a team-high 13 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor and adds 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

The Storylines

The Favorite

A year ago Hinton entered the state tournament as an unbeaten third seed and rattled off three consecutive wins on its way to its first state title.

The Blackhawks return to the state tournament as the top-seed and favorite to repeat.

Hinton returns four starters from last year’s unbeaten state title team and have been as impressive as any team in the state this season averaging a 2A-best 70.9 points per game and outscoring opponents by 43.2 points per game.

The Underdog

West Lyon has the seeding and record that make it the underdog but be careful with this one.

The eighth-seeded Wildcats are 17-7, the most losses in the 2A field, but six of those losses have come to either 2A state qualifiers or ranked teams from larger classes.

Add in the fact that West Lyon handed top-ranked Hinton its only loss of the season in December and this isn’t a typical eight seed.

West Lyon is the underdog in this bracket but they are more than capable of pulling an upset or two.

The Darkhorse

After a state semifinal appearance last season the Regals have largely flown under the radar in 2A this season.

Regina spent much of the season outside the top-10 in the 2A rankings before rising as high as eighth late in the season.

Keep an eye on Regina this week in Des Moines.

The Regals have faced a challenging schedule with five losses to ranked teams from larger classes and have state tournament experience after last year’s semifinal run.

Regina also has one of the top individual players in the 2A field in standout sophomore guard Addie McLaughlin.

The Focus

Will there be another repeat champion in Class 2A?

Dike-New Hartford won four consecutive 2A titles from 2021 to 2024 before Hinton stopped that run last season.

Now Hinton returns as the top seed seeking to become the latest repeat champion in Class 2A.

Repeat champs are nothing new in 2A.

Western Christian won three in a row from 2012-2014 and Unity Christian won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.

Hinton will have its hands full defending its title starting with a rematch with West Lyon in the opening round.

Rock Valley and last year’s runner-up Central Lyon are both capable of stopping Hinton from a second consecutive title.

The Numbers

Five Fast Facts

* – Rock Valley is 3-3 all-time in state quarterfinal games. Every time the Rockets have won their state tournament opener they have won the state title.

* – Regina sophomore Addie McLaughlin is the only player in the state this season to average more than 6 assists (6.3) and 20 points (22.4) per game.

* – Rock Valley twin sisters Hudsyn and Haevyn Ranschau rank first and second in the state with 109 and 97 made 3-pointers this season.

* – Hinton leads the state in point differential this season outscoring opponents by an average of 43.2 points per game.

* – Central Lyon is making its fifth consecutive state tournament appearance and has reached the 2A title game three of the past four seasons finishing runner-up in 2022, 2023 and 2025.

The Schedule

Tuesday’s Quarterfinals

Hinton (20-1) vs. West Lyon (17-7), 6:45 p.m.

Denver (22-2) vs. Emmetsburg (23-2), 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday’s Quarterfinals

Rock Valley (22-2) vs. Regina (19-5), 10 a.m.

Central Lyon (19-4) vs. Treynor (21-1), 11:45 a.m.

Friday’s Semifinals

Hinton/West Lyon winner vs. Denver/Emmetsburg winner, 10 a.m.

Rock Valley/Regina winner vs. Central Lyon/Treynor winner, 11:45 a.m.

Saturday’s Championship

Semifinal winners, 4:45 p.m.

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