Defending champion Davenport Assumption is another step closer to a return trip to the Class 3A title game.

The top-ranked Knights raced to a 16-0 lead and beat a young Red Oak team 71-25 to start this year’s 3A tournament.

Assumption has shown great balance all season and it was evident again as the Knights improved to 23-2 for the season. All five starters scored in the opening burst and three players finished with 12 points each to lead the team — Danielle Moore, Morgan Pavlich and Maddie Irmen. Kate Fennelly added eight points for the Knights, who are in the tournament for the fourth straight year and ninth time in the last 10 seasons.

Moore also had six assists and six steals. Pavlich went 4-for-6 from three point range and had three steals. Irmen shot 5-for-6 from the field and Fennelly was 2-for-4 from 3-point range. Assumption played aggressive defense throughout and amassed 19 steals.

Twelve players scored for the Knights and things went so well that reserve Kennedy King banked in a 3-pointer from the left wing.

After going undefeated in the Class 5A-heavy Mississippi Athletic Conference, Assumption has been cruising through the postseason so far, winning by margins of 33, 34, 42 and now 46 points.

Red Oak earned its first state tournament trip in 90 years with a lineup of three juniors and two sophomores, so the Tigers might not have to wait as long for their next trip. Sophomore Kate Walker led Red Oak with 10 points and junior Blake Bergren scored seven.

Assumption will play in the semifinals at 3:15 Thursday afternoon. Red Oak finishes with a 13-12 record.

Two coaches and five former players, each from different decades will be inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, Saturday, March 9.

The festivities will be at the halftime of the Class 4-A State Championship game and will be televised on the Iowa High School Sports Network affiliates.

Coaches joining the Hall are Dave Lee from Conrad, former BCLUW mentor and Marquette Catholic, Bellevue coach Jim Squiers who is retiring this year.

The Hall of Fame players are each former All-State honorees who appeared in the State Tournament. They include Msgr Wayne Ressler of Cascade St. Martin’s; Lonnie Porter from Waterloo East and now coaching at Regis University in Denver, CO; Dean Schnoes from Cherokee; Ed Vaske who played at NESCO, Zearing; and Casey Blake from Indianola.

DEAN SCHNOES: He was a two-time All-State player, a 1976 prep All-American, and twice picked first-team All-Northwest Iowa during his career at Cherokee, Washington. He starred on the Coach Dick Point’s 21-1 runner-up team in 1975 averaging 17 ppg and 13.2 rpg. He was named All-Tournament as he led the field in scoring and finished second in rebounding. As the only returnee for the Braves his senior season, he averaged 21.8 ppg with 12.6 rpg. One of the all-time greats in Cherokee history, he scored 866 points during his All-State years and set a school record for points in a game with 41. His 605 career rebounds is also a record as is his 296 rebounds in a single season. He attended Northwestern College in Orange City and starred in basketball and baseball. He played in every varsity basketball game during his four-year career and was a three-time All-Tri-Conference selection. He finished as Northwestern’s fourth leading career rebounder and eighth leading scorer. He is one of only 12 Northwestern players to score over 1,000 career points and was voted the Most Valuable Athlete at Northwestern in 1980. He is currently the Superintendent of Schools at Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton. With his wife Brenda they have raised a son and a daughter and make their home in Elk Horn.

Maquoketa Valley’s sizzling start was too much even for the state’s No. 3 ranked team to overcome.

The 14th-ranked Wildcats made their first nine shots — three 3-pointers and six free throws — and went on to beat IKM-Manning 65-57 to close out the Class 2A quarterfinal round.

The fast start lifted Maquoketa Valley to a 15-6 lead and the Wildcats stayed in front the rest of the way. They improved to 20-5 and will meet No. 2 Lawton-Bronson in a semifinal game at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Lawton-Bronson is the only other team that beat IKM-Manning this season.

Maquoketa Valley took only 24 shots, making 13 for 54.2 percent, but cashed in at the free throw line — sinking 34 of 45 attempts. The Wildcats drew fouls by taking the ball aggressively to the basket or by beating the Wolves down the floor in transition. IKM-Manning was just seven of 14 at the line.

Brooke Wooten led Maquoketa Valley with 19 points and made all eight of her free throws. Renee Huber added 17 points for the Wildcats and Heidi Hoeger scored 11.

Kaylee Blake led IKM-Manning with 16 points and nine rebounds, but early foul trouble limited her to 18 minutes. Blake and another key player, Morgan Muhlbauer, each picked up three fouls in the first half.

Sarah Schlichte scored 10 points and Muhlbauer had eight for the Wolves, who won the state championship in 2009. They finished with a 23-2 record.

IKM-Manning made a run at the Wildcats early in the second half, drawing to 33-30 on Blake’s layup. But Maquoketa Valley responded with an 18-3 run to open a 51-33 lead.

The Wolves mounted one more comeback, but could never get closer than the final eight-point margin.