Class 2A semifinal goes to the wire

It went down to the wire in the first Class 2A semifinal of the day at the Girls State Basketball Tournament in Des Moines. Jackie Hunt’s back door lay-up with 50 seconds remaining snapped a 51-51 tie as the third-ranked Maquoketa Valley Wildcats downed second-ranked Hudson 44-41 and earned a spot in the 2A title game. Hunt says they were not going to be satisfied by just getting to the semifinals. Maquoketa Valley coach Tom Pestka had planned on playing for the final shot of regulation before Hunt got open for the lay-up. Maquoketa Valley had trailed by nine in the third quarter 30-21, then outscored Hudson 10-0 over a four-minute span to take the lead with just over a minute remaining in the third. Neither team led by more than three the rest of the way.