The Exira-EHK Spartans poured in 9 threes in the first half and blitzed their way back into the 1A State Tournament with a 63-47 win over Stanton on Wednesday night in Atlantic. Quinn Grubbs nailed 4 of those threes in the opening half and finished with a game-high 25 points to lead the win. Grubbs said it was their great passing that got everyone in rhythm.
The Spartans led by 8 at the end of the first quarter and blew the lead out to 31-16 by half. A great possession before the end of the half all but sealed up the momentum in the Spartans favor. After using a good chunk of clock Shay Burmeister drove the baseline and found Mollie Rasmussen in the opposite corner for a three that sent the Spartan faithful into a frenzy. Rasmussen finished with 12 points and she talked about the thrill of advancing.
The Spartans had their best stuff when they needed it and Head Coach Tom Petersen was elated for his team.
Shay Burmeister had another strong game with 13 points, including three long-balls in the first half. She was filled with joy getting to return to State.
The Spartans improved to 23-1 on the season and get to play in the 1A State Tournament for the second straight season. They made it to the semifinals last season and Coach Petersen said it’s a loaded field this year but his team will be hungry to compete.
Stanton was led by 18 points from Jenna Stephens, 16 of those coming in the second half. The Viqueens suffer their first loss of the season and end the year at 24-1.
We’ll have coverage of Exira-EHK at the State Tournament on KJAN.
Ryan Hawkins had another big game with 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Creighton Bluejays to a road win over St. John’s 81-78 on Wednesday night.
The Bluejays were down 7 at halftime and rallied back to outscore the Red Storm 42-32 after the break.
Ryan Kalkbrenner added 19 points, Trey Alexander had 16, and Arthur Kaluma dropped in 12. Creighton improves to 19-8 overall and 11-5 in the Big East.
Next up for the Jays is a trip to #11 Providence on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Izaiah Brockington’s steal and basket with 20 seconds remaining gave Iowa State the lead as the Cyclones rallied for an 84-81 win over West Virginia. Brockington finished with 35 points as ISU improved to 6-9 in the Big 12.
That’s Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger. It was the Cyclones third straight win.
Otzelberger says the Cyclones did a better job of rebounding in the second half.
The ninth ranked Iowa State women outscored Kansas 27-14 in the opening quarter and cruised to an 85-59 win on the road. Ashley Joens had 22 points and the Cyclones connected on 17 three pointers.
The Cyclones are now 12-4 and remain tied with Baylor at the top of the Big 12 heading into Saturday’s game at home against Texas Tech.
UNI took another step toward a Missouri Valley title. The Panthers scored 48 second half points in an 88-82 win at Indiana State. It sets up a title showdown Saturday in Cedar Falls against Loyola. AJ Green led UNI with 21 points.
Green had several baskets at crunch time as the Panthers were protecting the lead.
That’s Panther coach Ben Jacobson. UNI is 13-4 in the Valley
CLASS 1A
Region 1: MMCRU 49, Storm Lake St. Mary’s 31
Region 2: Newell-Fonda 72, Remsen St. Mary’s 43
Region 3: Bishop Garrigan 74, Ricevillle 33
Region 4: North Linn , East Buchanan
Region 5: Springville 87, Baxter 54
Region 6: Notre Dame, Burlington 83, English Valleys 22
Region 7: North Mahaska 46, Martensdale-St. Marys 39
Region 8: Exira-EHK 63, Stanton 47
CLASS 2A
Region 1: Central Lyon 67, Ridge View 41
Region 2: South Central Calhoun 54, Sibley-Ocheyedan 51
Region 3: Dike-New Hartford 75, West Fork 21
Region 4: Denver 51, Aplington-Parkersburg 43
Region 5: Cascade 42, Bellevue 32
Region 6: Regina Catholic 63, Mediapolis 51
Region 7: Panorama 58, Nodaway Valley 41
Region 8: Underwood 35, Treynor 21
CLASS 4A
Region 8: Glenwood 76, Winterset 43
(Atlantic, Iowa) (Updated 2/24) – Iowa Third-District Democrat Congresswoman Cindy Axne (D) held a Town Hall meeting in Atlantic, Wednesday evening at the Atlantic Public Library. She discussed issues she’s worked on, and continues to try and hash out with her fellow Congressmen and Senators. Like Republican Senator Charles Grassley, who spoke earlier in the day Wednesday, in Atlantic, Axne focused on the Infrastructure Bill and the money that’s coming to Iowa for: Highway Aid; Bridge Repairs; Public Transportation; Broadband service; Cybersecurity and more.
Rep. Cindy Axne (2/23/22) Ric Hanson photo
That breaks down into: $3.4-billion to address Iowa’s 403 miles of highway that are in poor condition; $432-million for repairs and revitalization of more than 4,500 bridges; $305-million to address the 40% of transit vehicles that are beyond their expected lifespan.
Axne said “It’s been a heck of a whirlwind” of activity in Congress over the past year to keep towns alive while COVID was still making its presence known. She said “I spent most of last year working on bills that would literally just ensure that Atlantic, southwest Iowa, Iowa and this great country of ours can stay afloat, and prosper.” She added, “We made it through…with more money in people’s pockets, more health care opportunities for people to get vaccinated…”
Axne spoke about the benefits to Iowans of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). During the Q&A from those who attended the Town Hall. One of the questions from a person whose brother is a severe diabetic and has trouble getting his medical equipment. Axne said every year since she’s been in office, she and others have tried to find ways to lower the cost of prescription drugs, but “We are stopped at every turn,” according to the Congresswoman. “The Senate isn’t moving anything that we need to move.”
The best she and her colleagues can do right now, though, she says is to start with the most expensive and most used drugs, and getting those costs reduced. She spoke also about the Surprise Medical Billing Act, which was written into law and protects people covered under group and individual health plans from receiving surprise medical bills when they receive most emergency services, non-emergency services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, and services from out-of-network air ambulance service providers.
She’s also currently working on a bill that helps provide greater access to funding from the U-S Department of Justice for small police departments (with less than 200 employees).
There are also items in the bill to provide “De-escalation training” for officers, to give communities a chance to overcome issues police have to address, like mental health and domestic issues. The bill includes support for body cameras and more.
(Dedham, Iowa) – A collision Tuesday morning between a pickup and a van in Carroll County, left one person dead and another injured. The Iowa State Patrol, on Wednesday, said a 2010 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 58-year-old Rae Jean Lepird, of Carroll, was traveling east on Highway 141 south of Dedham and west of Olympic Avenue, when the vehicle went out of control on the icy roadway.
The pickup crossed the center line of the highway and struck the driver’s side door of a westbound 2018 Dodge Caravan driven by 32-year-old Ashley Dawn Kesselring, of Coon Rapids. The crash happened at around 8:50-a.m.
Kesselring, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene from her injuries. Lepird, who was also wearing her seat belt, suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported by Carroll County Ambulance to St. Anthony Regional Hospital, in Carroll.
The accident remains under investigation.
DALE ALAN LEANDER, 85, of Atlantic, died Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at University Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. A Memorial service for DALE LEANDER will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Atlantic on Saturday, March 5th, beginning at 11-a.m., with a luncheon to follow. Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.
Visitation with the family present will be at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, March 5, 2022, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Atlantic.
Burial will take place at a later date at the Atlantic Cemetery.
Memorials may be directed to the Leander Family in honor of Dale and may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 523, Atlantic, IA. They will be designated to many of Dale’s favorite organizations and charities.
DALE LEANDER is survived by:
His wife – Judy Leander.
His daughters – Lisa (Glen) Dolch, of Atlantic; Lana Leander & husband Ryan Gruhn, of Ames.
His sister – Lois (Maynard) Paul, of Burnsville, Minnesota.
3 grandchildren, 1 Great-granddaughter.
In-laws, other relatives and friends.
Condolences may be left on www.schmidtfh.com