Known for its high scoring offense IKM used defense to get back to the class 1A championship game. The top ranked Hawks held fourth rated Twin River Valley to just ten first half points enroute to a 44-26 win in Wednesday night’s semifinals.
Margo Muhlbauer who led IKM with 18-points says they did a lot of sagging off the ball to help on defense inside. The Hawks lost to Charter Oak-Ute in last year’s title game. She says a lot of teams don’t get a second chance, so they plan to take full advantage of that.
Twin River Valley struggled from the field and made only 11 of 40 shots in the game. T-R-V coach Dan Bennett says they got some good looks, they just didn’t go down and he says it’s a credit to IKM. It completes the programs most successful season.
Bennett says they can cry a little bit for losing the game, but can smile inside as he says they set the bar high for the school Bennett says any young girl who doesn’t want to play for them now doesn’t like basketball.
Third ranked Treynor canned a class 1A tournament 10 three pointers as the Cardinals ousted second ranked and defending champion Charter Oak-Ute. Tricia Potter had four of the three pointers and finished with a game high 25 points. Potter says if the defense comes out, then they’re going to go inside as everyone can score and she says that makes them hard to stop.
Treynor won the title in 1994 and returns to the championship game after bowing out in the semifinals last year. Coach Gail Hartigen says it’s nice to get back into the championship game as that’s the goal of every team in Iowa.
Charter Oak-Ute ends the season 22-4. Coach Brian DeJong says they went in with the plan to give up the three thinking they could get away with it, but he says it proved to be “the crushing thing.”