DES MOINES – Mason City lead Dowling Catholic 38-33 after 3 quarters of play in a state basketball semifinal game Friday afternoon.
A fourth quarter with no field goals was enough to spell defeat for the Mohawks as Dowling shot great from the free throw line and made a few timely layups.
Dowling Catholic survived a 3-point flurry from Mason City and battled its way into the Class 5A championship game.
Freshman Becca Hittner scored 17 points and eighth-ranked Dowling rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the third-ranked Mohawks 50-43 to complete the semifinal round.
Dowling improved to 21-4 and will go for its fifth state championship when it plays No. 7 Southeast Polk at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Maroons won titles in 1992, 1996, 1998 and 2000 and finished third three times.
They earned their latest trip with tough defense down the stretch after Mason City threatened to take control of the game.
The Mohawks hit four straight 3-pointers, the final three by Iowa State recruit Jadda Buckley, to open a 38-31 lead with 3:19 left in the third quarter.
But the Maroons held Mason City without a field goal the rest of the way and clawed their way back with a couple of buckets inside from Luci Sarcone and steady free throw shooting.
Sarcone’s layup and Alyssa Beck’s two free throws erased Mason City’s last lead and put Dowling up 43-42. The Maroons then sank seven of eight free throws in the final minute to wrap it up.
Sarcone finished with 13 points and Audrey Faber scored 10 to go with six rebounds. Hittner also had six rebounds and made all nine of her free throws.
Buckley led Mason City with 23 points in her final high school game. Cortni Rush and Lexy Pederson each scored six for the Mohawks, who made the tournament for the third straight year and were seeking their first trip to the championship game.
Dowling held Mason City to 6-for-18 shooting from 3-point range after the Mohawks made a tournament record 14 3s in a quarterfinal victory over Iowa City West. Mason City finished 21-4.
Dowling lost to Mason City in its final regular season game and now has a chance to avenge a 55-34 loss to Southeast Polk in its next-to-last game.
Mason City finishes its best season ever at 21-4.
See the box score here.
At ANY level, if you are any kind of a leader, you dont throw a teammate or coach under the bus, Good luck Fennley with your newest head case.
Read my earlier posts
Good thing school was dismissed for this event. I hate to think what kids would have learned instead of watching girls throw a ball through a hoop (if they even watched the game at all).
Being at the game today I noticed after the game that both Buckley and Mellman stood almost by themselves away from the team…showing almost no emotion. Then I read this article on line and it makes me sick to my stomach. This is a poor example of leadership. Hopefully she will grow up in college.
http://amestrib.com/sections/sports/isu-cyclones/women%E2%80%99s-basketball-state-semifinal-loss-%E2%80%98stings%E2%80%99-isu-signee-buckley
@Ben-I read the article and must say I saw very little wrong with it. She told the truth as she saw it and in my opinion that is OK. She is a girl who wants to win and thought that decisions made by someone else prevented her from doing that. She did what aggressive athlete’s do, stated her opinion. To bad they didn’t win it all. I really would have liked to see that.
A high school athlete saying that her coach’s decision “screwed us over.” That is not out of line to you? Just because she wanted her buddy in more?? The Mellman girl was lucky she was in even as much as she WAS. She stunk the joint up yesterday. I would have played her even less. Maybe I should go to the Globe the next time I am faced with adversity at work and tell the Globe my boss is screwing me over and have that printed in the paper. I guess if it is true it is OK, right? This is not how people of high character behave…. and that is my opinion.
@Ben-you are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine. She is a teenager and a high school athlete which is not the same as at work. Are you related to the coach or was your daughter on the team? It sure sound like you have a bone to pick with this young athlete. You should be telling her what a good job they have done. Not trying to discredit her for stating her opinion.
LVS,
I don’t have to discredit her at all. She did a fine job of that all by herself.
@Ben-yet you are the one who is posting negative comments about a teenage girl on N.I.T. are you not? In some circles that would be called bullying.
LVS,
You sound like a typical parent these days…twisting something around in defense of a kid who made a mistake only to blame an adult. I stated my opinion and I stand by it. The comments she made were just plain wrong.
@Ben-boy are you angry. Wouldn’t they let your daughter play so you feel like you have to tear down a teenage girl and her teammates that have worked hard to get to this point. You are really a big man are you not? You couldn’t let her keep her dignity could you?
Tearing down her teammates?? Where on earth did I ever say a word about her teammates? I feel SORRY for her teammates. Angry? Nope. Disgusted? Absolutely. When you make comments the way she did in the media, she is going to have to live with what comes with it….. and there will always be people like you to defend those people no matter how wrong they are. I suppose you are the kind of parent that if your kid got busted for drinking you would hire a lawyer and claim they drank mouthwash.
I watched the girls on TV after the game and I’ve never saw redder crying eyes. There’s no crying in basketball!
@brick-there is if your are a teenage girl.
I don’t think her comments showed good sportsmanship.
One thing you should remember Ben is that sportswriters (and other reporters also) often misquote athletes. I don’t know if that is the case in this instance, but the coach most often does what he or she thinks is right for the team. I don’t think coaches like to lose any more than the players do and probably, the coach takes a loss harder than the kids. Irregardless of the coaching critiques, I have had the opportunity to watch Ms Buckley play a few times the past four years and, on the court, she is one of the most unselfish players I have seen. I have no doubt that if she wanted to, she could have scored 30 points a game but chose instead to pass the ball and set up her teammates instead of taking a shot. I have a lot of respect for her abilities on the court. Coach Fennelly is getting a quality player. I only wish she would have opted for the Hawkeyes instead of the Clowns. :}
One more thing – reporters also take quotes out of context and let them stand alone leaving a much different impression than what was intended. And a sportswriter talking to a high school student can ask questions, especially right after a tough loss or great win, that ask the player to respond to a hypothetical question such as “Do you think the coach made the right decision?” In hindsight, a player might want to reflect on that a bit before answering. But, in reality, with a tough defeat staring you in the face, and a reporter standing in front of you, it would be easy to make a general statement or a critique that isn’t well thought out.
@bodacious-very well put.
I agree with you bodacious. I didn’t like the screwed over comment, but I thought the way a couple other things she said were juxtaposed in the article made her appear in a light that probably wasn’t true. I know all too well how the press can screw things or color comments up with editing.
The final score does not describe what a great game this was! Great Job at state Mason City Girls!
good job girls
That is really a shame. The girls worked real hard to get there.