Three of the four first round games in the class 3A state tournament are in the books and the top two seeds are heading home to hit the books after two upset wins last night.

Eight-seed Bishop Heelan (18-6) handed top-seed MOC-Floyd Valley (24-1) their first loss of the year, connecting on 5-of-7 free throws in the final two minutes to stave off the Dutchmen 35-33.  MOC-Floyd Valley was 0-for-5 from the line in that same stretch.  Neither team hit a field goal in the final five minutes, combining to shoot 31% from the floor on the night.  Bishop Heelan squares off against…

Epworth (23-2) outscored Assumption 24-11 in the final quarter to pull away from the Knights (21-4) for a 58-46 win despite a game that featured seven ties and eight lead changes.  TJ Lake poured in 26 points while going 9-for-11 from the free throw line as the Bobcats hit 21-of-30 from the line.  Assumption hit six in just seven attempts from the charity stripe on the night.

Seven-seed Grinnell (21-4), who fell to Washington to end the regular season, continued their great postseason run in dramatic fashion, outscoring Waverly-Shell Rock (23-2) 26-15 in the final quarter to complete the comeback win 60-55.  The Tigers trailed by 11 at the half and by 16 early in the third quarter before outscoring the Go-Hawks 42-21 the rest of the way.  Four players scored in double figures for the Tigers, led by Jordan Ely’s 15.  Grinnell took their first lead of the game at the 2:37 mark and took the lead for good on a three-point play with :57 left.  Waverly-Shell Rock was 0-4 in the final minute from behind the arc as the Tigers pulled away going 5-of-6 from the line to seal the win.  Grinnell will face the winner of the Mount Pleasant / ADM contest which tips at noon Wednesday.  The third-seeded Panthers are the highest remaining seed left in class 3A.

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