Lady Vikes advance to regional semifinals

    AVOCA (Feb. 16) -- Seniors Kailey Jones and Claire Denning combined for 40 points here Tuesday night, leading the AHSTW girls basketball team to a 57-24 victory over Interstate 35 in a Class 2A, Region 5 quarterfinal.
 The Lady Vikes dominated the first three quarters by scores of 16-4, 18-5 and 14-4 to take a commanding 48-13 lead, shooting 50 percent for the game and improving to 16-6 overall.
 Jones finished her night with 21 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots while Denning had 19 points, six assists and four steals.
 Also scoring for AHSTW were Ellie Peterson with seven points, Claire Harris five, Delaney Goshorn three and Julia Kock two. Harris added five rebounds and five assists.
 Interstate 35, which had advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 37-30 win over West Central Valley, ended its season at 4-17.
 The Lady Vikes, seeking a second straight trip to the regional finals, will now host Mount Ayr (16-5) in a regional semifinal Friday (Feb. 19).
 The Raiders topped Central Decatur 40-28 Tuesday night, outscoring the Cardinals 20-6 in the second half.
 AHSTW head coach Jill Vanderhoof expects a very tough matchup.
 “Mount Ayr has played some really strong teams this year, and they have competed well with them all,” she said. “They have some height inside and look to get touches inside the paint. This really helps with their ball movement and getting good looks for shots. Defensively, they are aggressive and scrappy. They like to be in your face and put pressure on the ball.
 “We are really going to have to buckle down on the defensive end and stay disciplined to what we know how to do in order to get defensive stops. Offensively, we are looking to take charge of the game at our pace and play with a controlled sense of being as we look to make the extra pass and find the best shots.”
 Friday’s winner will likely face No. 4 Nodaway Valley (21-0) in Wednesday’s Region 5 final. The Wolverines host South Central Calhoun (14-8) on Friday night.

CLASS 2A, REGION 5 GIRLS BASKETBALL
First Round Scores • Saturday, February 13
East Sac County 74, IKM-Manning 69 (OT)     Interstate 35, Truro 37, West Central Valley 30
Quarterfinal Scores • Tuesday, February 16
Nodaway Valley 64, East Sac County 33    AHSTW 57, Interstate 35, Truro 24
South Central Calhoun 47, ACGC 39         Mount Ayr 40, Central Decatur 28
Regional Semifinals • Friday, February 19
South Central Calhoun (14-8) at #4 Nodaway Valley (21-0), 7:00 p.m.
Mount Ayr (16-5) at AHSTW (16-6), 7:00 p.m.
Regional Final • Wednesday, Feb. 24 • Site TBA • 7:00 p.m.