Class 1A – Region 2 Final
Bishop Garrigan 54
Lake Mills 35
The class 1A #1 ranked Bishop Garrigan girls basketball team is going to the state tournament for the 7th season in a row and the 11th time in program history, after using a lock down defensive performance to defeat #12 Lake Mills 54-35 in the region 2 final Wednesday night in Mason City.
Bishop Garrigan got out to the early 14-7 lead in the first quarter, before Lake Mills went on a 7-0 run to tie the game. The Golden Bears would lead 15-14 after the first quarter before the defense took over in quarter two. Lake Mills scored the first four to take the 18-15 lead, as Bishop Garrigan went over four minutes to start the second without a bucket. Bishop Garrigan Head Coach Brandon Schwab felt the Golden Bears played tight in the first half.
The Golden Bears eventually inched ahead 24-20 at the half, then turned up the pressure in the 3rd. A Madelyn Tigges steal and bucket in the full court press brought the lead to 8, then a nice pass by Carley Nielson set Tigges up for another two, and a 10 point Golden Bear advantage. A Makenzie Budach three pointer for Lake Mills was immediately answered by a Nielson trifecta for Bishop Garrigan, then Tigges located Nielsen for two to put the Golden Bears up 12. Golden Bear senior Sacha Alesch says that when the opposing defense limits the options, Bishop Garrigan can find other ways to score.
Bishop Garrigan entered the 4th up 41-33, and used their defense to close out the game, shutting out Lake Mills for nearly the whole 4th quarter until a late bucket with under 10 seconds to go. Senior Emmi Bartolo says Bishop Garrigan was given a tough test by Lake Mills, but found a way to get it done.
Graclyn Eastman scored 17 points, 13 of which came in the seocnd half, and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Madelyn Tigges had 13 points with 7 boards, and Emmi Bartolo and Carley Nielson scored 8 apiece for Bishop Garrigan. Cora Sauer lead Lake Mills with 13.
Bishop Garrigan moves to 22-2 with the win, while Lake Mills ends their season at 17-6. Schwab credits the Golden Bears seniors for leading the way.
Bishop Garrigan will head to Des Moines, and take on Kee at the Casey’s Center at 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon in the quarterfinal round. Live coverage of the game can be heard on KLGA 92.7 FM and KLGZ 98.5 FM/AM 1600.
Class 1A – Region 5 Final
Lynnville-Sully 56
North Union 33
The season came to an end in the region 5 final for the #13 ranked North Union girls basketball team, as the Warriors couldn’t find the offense after the first quarter to keep up with the #5 Lynnville-Sully Hawks in a 56-33 loss.
The teams were tied at 12 after one, but the Hawks outscored the Warriors 16-5 in the second, and held North Union to just 21 points over the final 3 quarters.
The Warriors would finish with just two made three pointers on the night, as Maisey Bierstedt and Taylor Parsons scored 9 points apiece, while Ainsley Ulrich had 8. Kate Harthoorn scored 17 to lead Lynnville-Sully, while Isabell Vos added 14, and Ava Brummel chipped in 9.
The Hawks would knock down 7/14 3s, and grab 18 offensive rebounds in the win, improving their record to 24-0 and moving on to state to face Dunkerton in the quarterfinal round. North Union ends their season with a 15-9 record.
