CRESTON (Feb.

 MANNING (Feb. 13) -- With a rubber match against Logan-Magnolia looming on the horizon, IKM-Manning girls basketball coach Gene Rasmussen was hoping his team was squarely focused on the task at hand Tuesday night - a Class 2A regional quarterfinal game vs.

 ELK HORN (Feb.

 AVOCA (Feb. 12) -- R.J. Harris led the way with 21 points and Jack Paulson added nine points and 14 rebounds Monday night as the AHSTW boys basketball team opened district play with a 74-48 win over Red Oak. Clayton Akers, Blake Osbahr and Jake Martin all scored at least eight points as well as the Vikings advanced to face Underwood in a district semifinal game Thursday night at Treynor.

 HARLAN (Feb.

 HARLAN (Feb.

 OAKLAND (Feb. 10) -- Saturday marked another historic milestone for the AHSTW wrestling program. Advancing six of their 10 district qualifiers to state, the Vikings claimed their first-ever district team title with 128.5 points at the Class 1A, District 5 Tournament in Oakland.

 GUTHRIE CENTER (Feb. 10) -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton’s lone district qualifier, junior Dawson Carey, placed fourth with an 0-2 record at Saturday’s Class 1A, District 1 Wrestling Tournament in Guthrie Center. Competing at 160 pounds, Carey was pinned in 2:10 by sixth-ranked Chance Rice of Colfax-Mingo in his semifinal match. Carey then battled Audubon’s Trace McCuen for three periods before losing a 5-4 decision in the third-place match.

 AVOCA (Feb.

 REGIONAL (Feb. 13) -- The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton and IKM-Manning girls basketball teams will open regional play with home games Tuesday night as they begin their quests to secure a state tournament berth. Exira-EHK (20-1), ranked 2nd in Class 1A, will host Riverside (4-18) in a Region 7 quarterfinal at 7:00 p.m.

 HARLAN (Feb. 10) -- The Harlan Community girls finished the regular season with a lopsided defeat Saturday night as 2nd-ranked Lewis Central pulled away behind a 17-0 first-half run and beat the Cyclones 69-33. The score was 9-7 when LC rattled off 17 unanswered points en route to a 39-14 halftime lead.

 ELK HORN (Feb.

 DES MOINES (Feb. 15) -- There’s no such thing as an easy draw at the State Wrestling Tournament, and that’s particularly true for this year’s eight area qualifiers. Among the two state qualifiers from Harlan Community and six from AHSTW, seven will face a first-round opponent ranked in the top 10 of their weight class by The Predicament when competition begins Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena.

 MISSOURI VALLEY (Feb.

 REGIONAL (Feb. 10) -- Fifteen area wrestlers will take their shots at earning a state tournament ticket Saturday when district meets are held across Iowa starting at noon. AHSTW leads the area with 10 district qualifiers and will compete in the Class 1A, District 5 Tournament at Oakland.