The boys’ basketball state tournament championship matchups are set in class 1-3A after six semifinal games Thursday in Des Moines.
In class 1A, top seed Danville improved to 27-0 behind a dominating fourth quarter, outscoring Nodaway Valley (23-3) 19-6 in the final frame to pull away with a 65-49 semifinal win. The Bears out-rebounded the Wolverines 40-26 behind a double-double from Steven Soukup who grabbed 13 boards and poured in a game-high 25 points while adding four steals and three assists. Danville looks for their second-straight state championship today when they tip against…

Boyden-Hull (25-2), who knocked off IMS in the opening round Monday, staved off previously unbeaten St. Mary’s (26-1) 69-61 despite not hitting a shot from the floor in the final 4:13. The Panthers played in foul trouble all night with two players fouling out and two others finishing the game with four fouls. The Comets won this game at the free throw line, hitting 19-of-27 attempts to just 5-of-8 for St. Mary’s. Danville and Boyden-Hull tip off for the state championship Friday at 6:05.

The top seed in class 2A was eliminated in the semis last night as Mt. Vernon (22-4) took a 12 point lead into the locker rooms and thwarted any comeback attempt from MFL-MarMac (24-2) to advance to the championship game with a 66-49 win. The Mustangs committed just four turnovers and scored 15 points off 16 Bulldog giveaways while getting a game-high 27 points from Jake Timm, who finished the night 12-of-16 from the line. Mt. Vernon faces…

Six-seed Clarinda (20-5) forced overtime against seven-seed St. Edmond (20-6) after Tyler Steeve hit what would end up being their final field goal on a jumper with four seconds left. The Gaels held the Cardinals without a made shot from the floor in the extra period, dominating the frame 14-2 en-route to a 56-44 win. In a game that featured five ties and eight lead-changes, St. Edmond’s defense sparked an offense that scored 23 points off 19 Clarinda turnovers. Mt. Vernon and St. Edmond square off for the championship Friday night at 8:05.

The class 3A semifinals saw a couple of dominating performances.
Four-seed Epworth (24-2) scored 19 points off 16 turnovers from eight-seeded Bishop Heelan (18-7) en-route to a 58-43 win. The Crusaders knocked off top seed MOC-Floyd Valley in the opening round with suffocating defense, but the Bobcats muscled their way to the basket all night, connecting of 20-of-30 free throw attempts while Bishop Heelan hit just two of their seven attempts. Next up is the championship game where Epworth will see…

Mt. Pleasant (25-1), the top seed remaining in 3A, was in a cat fight with seven-seed Grinnell (21-5) in the first half, taking a slim 26-25 lead into the locker room before outscoring the seventh-seeded Tigers 27-8 in the final 16 minutes to pull out a 53-33 win. The Panthers dropped in 15 points on 17 turnovers while holding Grinnell to 15% shooting in half, four points in each of the final two quarters. Mt. Pleasant’s Jordan Ashton scored 22 while post players Nick Lyon and Blake Vandenburg combined for 18 points and 18 rebounds as the Panthers finished plus-10 in the rebounding column. Epworth and Mt. Pleasant play for the state title Saturday at 6:05.

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