By Michael Rupp
A state tournament spot for the MMCRU Royals was at stake on Wednesday, February 23 in Cherokee against Storm Lake St. Marys. The Lady Royals sat at 4th in class 1A, while the Panthers were in 10th.
The Royals played very solid defense right out the gate. 4 minutes into the game St. Marys took a timeout down 9-4. From there on out the Royals shooters lit up the scoreboard. Senior Emily Dreckman drained a 3 of an assist from Hilbrands that really got the Royals crowd fired up. Dreckman then got an easy fast break bucket, and followed that up with another deep 3-pointer near the end of the quarter, giving the Royals a 17-8 lead.
The Royals tried to slow down the game in the second quarter and get good looks at the rim, but St. Mary’s defense stepped up, making the score 19-10 and forcing an MMCRU timeout. After that the Royals responded. Emily Dreckman hit another deep 3-point shot with 3:25 left in the half, and then Junior Kora Alesch drew a foul and got to the free throw line. St. Mary’s responded with 1 minute left in the 2nd when Senior Danika Demers hit a 3 from the top of the key. At halftime the score was 23-15 Royals.
The second half became a 3-point shootaround for MMCRU. Senior post player Ellie Hilbrands nailed a 3-point shot assisted by Senior Mya Holmes, and 2 minutes later Dreckman drained another 3. On the next possession Hilbrands pulled up again from the arch and again nailed it. St. Mary’s Head Coach Derek Varner called a timeout with 2:59 left in the 3rd to stop the bleeding, but the Royals would score 4 more before the quarter ended to make the score 40-22.
The Royals would drain out the clock during the 4th, and the starters came out with 1:30 left. Final score turned out to be 49-31 Royals. After the teams shook hands the MMCRU student section stormed the court in celebration of the huge victory. The Royals will advance to the state tournament as the #4 seed, and will face #5 Exira-EHK.
In other Northwest Iowa girls’ basketball news, Unity Christian is also heading to the tournament as the #1 team in 3A after defeating Cherokee 85-54. Remsen St. Mary’s season comes to a close after a 72-43 loss to Newell-Fonda. Central Lyon heads to the class 2A tournament with a 67-41 victory over Ridge View. West Lyon advances with a 45-33 win over Forest City. Sergeant Bluff-Luton advances with a 56-38 victory over Des Moines Christian, and they will face Estherville-Lincoln Central who won against Clear Lake 56-41. Bishop Heelan moves on in class 4A with a 67-42 win over Spencer.