Boys basketball: Big Reds pull off postseason stunner

Feb. 14—LEON — In a season filled with frustrating results, the Centerville boys basketball team is hoping to turn the tables on their opponents in the postseason.

The Big Reds certainly flipped the script on Central Decatur on Monday, returning to the same gym where Centerville suffered a 62-38 season-opening loss to the Cardinals back on Nov. 29. In Monday's postseason opener between the teams, Centerville erased an 11-point deficit in the second half to force overtime on a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left by Conner Stephens before Daniel George put back his own miss with 12 seconds left in overtime lifting the Big Reds to a thrilling 64-63 Class 2A district first round win.

Ryan Sinnott led Centerville in the win with 26 points. George added 12 points, including the winning basket, while Brandon Shinn scored 11.

"We just kept hanging around and hanging around," Centerville boys basketball coach Tyler Baze said. "Once we tied the game and got it into overtime, I felt like we never looked back. I just felt like the shots were going to fall for us eventually. We stuck with our game plan. I'm so proud of these guys."

Centerville (5-17) heads to Des Moines Christian on Thursday for the 2A, District 14 semifinals. The winner will face either Chariton or Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the district finals.

Cardinal 63, Pleasantville 57 (OT)

PLEASANTVILLE — For the second time in three years, the Cardinal boys basketball team pulled off a thrilling road win to open postseason play.

The Comets outscored Pleasantville 13-7 in overtime, pulling off a 63-57 win over the Trojans advancing in the Class 2A, District 12 tournament. For the second time in three years, Cardinal (6-17) will earned a trip to Pella Christian for the district semifinals after pulling off the postseason stunner.

Cardinal earned a 59-58 win at Williamsburg in 2020, clinching the victory on a last-second lay-up by Dawson Lewis. Pella Christian earned a 76-58 regional semifinal win over the Comets two years ago with the postseason rematch set for Thursday at 7 p.m.

No. 10 (1A) Moravia 82, Wayne 45

MORAVIA — Gage Hanes led the Bluegrass champion Mohawks to a postseason-opening win with 20 points in the Class 1A, District 9 quarterfinals.

Riley Hawkins added 15 for Moravia. The Mohawks sprinted out to a 15-point halftime lead over the Falcons, scoring 27 points in the second quarter, before outscoring Wayne 40-18 in the second half.

Moravia (21-1) hosts Montezuma in the district semifinals on Thursday.

Pekin 74, Lone Tree 58

PEKIN — Luke Long poured in 31 points for the Panthers, including 21 points in the first half as Pekin rallied from an early 11-point deficit to secure a Class 1A district quarterfinal win over their Southeast Iowa Superconference north division rivals.

Ethan Bockelman led Lone Tree with 19 points in the loss. The Lions battled the Panthers deep into the third quarter before a 19-3 run gave Pekin a 17-point lead.

Pekin (12-10) heads to North Mahaska on Thursday for a Class 1A, District 12 semifinals.

Chariton 58, Davis County 53

CHARITON — Mason Smith scored 25 points to lead all scorers, including 12 in the first half helping the Chargers build a 10-point lead before holding off the Mustangs late in the Class 2A, District 14 first round contest.

Tucker Marshall added 18 points to lead Davis County in the senior's final high school basketball game. The Mustangs rallied to take a 51-49 lead with just over five minutes left on a putback by Micah Carroll before Cameron Gibson rattled in a go-ahead 3-pointer as part of a 13-point night for the Charges igniting a 15-2 run for Chariton.

Davis County ends the season with a record of 4-17.

Mediapolis 59, Van Buren County 49

MEDIAPOLIS — Cole Lipper racked up 20 points and hauled in 10 rebounds, leading the Bulldogs to a Class 2A, District 11 first round win over the Warriors.

Jackson Manning closed out his four years as a 1,000-point scorer for the Van Buren County boys basketball program with 19 points in the loss. The Warriors got as close as two points in the fourth quarter after trailing 32-22 at halftime before the Bulldogs put the win away in the final minutes.

Van Buren County ends the season with a record of 5-16.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Davis County 54, Central Lee 46

DONNELLSON — Ella Porter poured in a career-high 21 points while grabbing eight rebounds and blocking three shots for the Mustangs in a Class 3A regional quarterfinal win over the Hawks.

Sophia Young added 12 points and dished out three assists. Makayla Morrison led Central Lee with 21 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

Davis County (9-13) heads to second-ranked Solon for the regional semifinals on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Van Buren County 44, Louisa-Muscatine 36

LETTS — Sophia Jirak stepped up to lead the Warriors to a postseason road win on Saturday, scoring 18 points in a Class 2A regional first round victory over the Falcons.

Ivy Davidson added 11 points and hauled in nine rebounds for Van Buren County. The Warriors outscored Louisa-Muscatine 14-6 in the fourth quarter, earning a second straight win over the Falcons after winning 44-24 in the Southeast Iowa Superconference Shootout.

Van Buren County (6-15) heads to Mediapolis for the 2A, Region 6 quarterfinals.

No. 6 (3A) Grinnell 57, Albia 33

GRINNELL — Bailey Strovers led a dominant night inside for sixth-ranked Grinnell, scoring a game-high 19 points while hauling in 16 rebounds for the Tigers in a 24-point Class 3A regional first round win over the Lady Dees.

Lillian DeMoss and Avery Halstead led Albia with 10 points apiece in the contest. Grinnell advanced on the strength of a 51-32 rebound edge.

Albia ends the season with a record of 9-13.

Chariton 39, Centerville 30

CHARITON — McKenzie Snook scored a game-high 20 points and hauling in 12 rebounds for the Chargers in a hard-earned Class 3A regional first round over the Redettes on Saturday.

Allie Peterson led Centerville with 10 points, all coming in the first half as Centerville built a 20-17 lead. Rachel George, who entered the night averaging 19.2 points a game in the regular season, was held to six points and one made field goal by the Chargers.

Centerville ends the season with a record of 11-11.

Durant 70, Pekin 33

DURANT — Isabelle DeLong led the Wildcats with a game-high 16 points while Avery Paper scored 12 in a Class 2A, Region 6 first round contest.

Emma Phillips closed out her high school basketball career for the Panthers with a postseason double-double, scoring 15 points while hauling in 10 rebounds. Turnovers proved to be costly, however, as Durant forced Pekin into 26 by the end of the game.

Pekin ends the season with a record of 4-18.