The semifinals are underway at the Boys’ Sate Basketball Tournament. Boyden-Hull has become a fixture at the tournament with 16 appearances. The Comets are now a victory away from accomplishing a first, a state title. Keith Siestra tapped in a Dan De Jong miss at the buzzer as Boyden-Hull edged top-seeded North Mahaska 60-58 in the 1A semifinals. It was North Mahaska’s first loss. North Mahaska jumped out to an early nine point lead but standout center Grant Stout picked up two early fouls and coach Andy Pickering says it effected his play when he came back on the court.After a sluggish start, top-ranked Newell-Fonda outscored Bellevue Marquette 21-9 in the second quarter enroute to a 63-50 win. Newell-Fonda center Eric Johnson had eight blocks in the game and a first quarter flurry of blocks helped Newell-Fonda get back in the game. Marquette had one more field goal than Newell-Fonda but the Mohawks got in bad foul trouble and for the game, the Mustangs shot 31 free throws.
