Playing with a depleted roster due to injuries, Harris-Lake Park struggled to find the basket in their Class 1A Regional opener Thursday. As a result, rival Clay Central-Everly tallied its second road win over the Wolves in the last ten days, winning 35-21 to advance to the second round. The Mavericks held HLP scoreless for the game’s first nine minutes and led 15-5 at the half. Noreen Morrow led all scorers with 16 points, one of just three Wolves to score. Harris-Lake Park, which was without starters Mariah Gath and Macy Gunderson, ends their season with a 7-14 record, having lost eight of their last nine games. Clay Central-Everly had two players with eight points, as Emily Jobst and Mattie Larson paced a balanced attack. The Mavericks, at an even 11-11, will play in the regional quarterfinals Tuesday in Estherville against North Iowa. The Bison upended Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire by a 58-34 final in Buffalo Center. The Raiders ended the year with 16 consecutive losses and a 3-17 record.
Click here for the postgame interview with HLP coach Jenni Spooner.
Also in the Class 1A Regional, Siouxland Conference rivals Boyden-Hull and Central Lyon set up a huge quarterfinal matchup with wins on Thursday. The tenth-ranked Comets defeated Trinity Christian, 57-31, while the eleventh-ranked Lions took down George-Little Rock, 47-36. That second round contest will be Tuesday in Rock Rapids.
West Bend-Mallard upended CWL in the first round, 62-32, and will meet Algona Bishop Garrigan in the second round after the Golden Bears dominated Laurens-Marathon, 61-22. And eighth-ranked Marcus-Meridan-Cleghorn won on their home floor over Remsen-Union, 66-51, earned a trip to the quarterfinals to face ninth-ranked LeMars Gehlen Catholic, who ran away from Spalding Catholic in a 62-37 win.
