LAKE MILLS—In the final Top of Iowa Conference contest for both teams, the Lake Mills Bulldog girls’ basketball squad upset the North Union Warriors 55-40 on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

The Bulldogs’ deadly shooting was the key to the victory as the purple-and-gold nailed 20 of 39 overall field goals for 51.2 percent, drained eight of 12 attempts behind the three-point arc for 66.6 percent and sank seven of 11 free throws for 63.6 percent.

DIKE—In a battle of top-ranked and defending state champions, Bishop Garrigan (No. 1, Class 1A) was just too strong for Dike-New Hartford (No. 1, Class 2A) 62-46 on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

The win snapped a 26-game winning streak for the Wolverines with the last loss coming at Bishop Garrigan last February. It was also the first time since 2019 the blue-and-white have lost a contest on their home floor.

ODGEN—West Bend-Mallard did not advance any wrestlers to the state tournament from the Class 1A, District No. 7 meet held on Saturday, Feb. 11.

The purple-and-gold finished in fifth place in the team standings with 78 points of the total of 10 squads competing in the tournament.

Five Wolverines just missed a trip to Des Moines by finishing in third place on Saturday while another one ended up in fourth place.

LAKE MILLS—North Union finished in sixth place in the team standings with 70.5 points on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Class 1A district wrestling tournament and did not have any wrestlers advance to the state tourney.

Landon Price at 120 pounds along with Brennen Bollinger at 220 pounds placed third while teammates Ethan Preston (106), Kaleb Lufkin (195) and Kolton Walter (285) all ended up in fourth place for the green-black-and-silver.

STORM LAKE—West Bend-Mallard earned their ninth win of the 2022-2023 campaign on Tuesday, Feb. 7 with a 53-32 Twin Lakes Conference boys’ basketball victory over the Storm Lake St. Mary’s Panthers.

The purple-and-gold led 11-5 at the end of the first period before taking a 19-12 advantage to the locker room at halftime. The Wolverines also led 38-24 heading into the fourth quarter of action.

LAKE MILLS—The eighth-ranked team in Class 2A had to battle hard to remain undefeated on Tuesday, Feb. 7 as the Lake Mills Bulldogs edged the North Union Warriors by the score of 67-64.

The visitors had a three-pointer with one second left bounce off the back rim for a chance to send the contest into overtime.

CLARION—Algona completed a season sweep of Clarion-Goldfield/Dows on Tuesday, Feb. 7 with an 83-51 North Central Conference boys’ basketball win over the Cowboys.

The Bulldogs topped Clarion-Goldfield/Dows 67-52 in Algona on Jan. 13 in the first meeting of the two conference foes.

The visitors started fast in the opening eight minutes by taking a 27-16 lead and was led by senior Simon Feucht, who poured in 14 points in the frame.

CLARION—Algona secured a runner-up showing in the North Central Conference standings with a hard-earned 48-43 girls’ league victory over the Clarion-Goldfield/Ventura Cowgirls on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

The red-and-black concluded the regular season with an overall record of 15-6 and ended up in 12-2 in the conference this winter.

BRITT—An 11-point advantage in the third period broke open a tight game as West Hancock defeated West Bend-Mallard 68-50 on Thursday, Feb. 9 in the Class 1A regional girls’ basketball tournament opener.

The home team held a slim 15-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and held a 22-17 advantage as the two squads headed to the locker room at intermission.

DES MOINES—Algona found out Monday their post-season opponents as the Class 3A boys’ basketball sub-state pairings were released.

The red-and-black was assigned to Sub-State No. 2 along with seven other teams, including No. 3 ranked MOC/Floyd Valley.

ALGONA—Algona went over the .500 mark in North Central Conference play and moved into fourth place in the league on Friday, Feb. 10 with a 70-60 victory over Hampton-Dumont.

The opening frame went back and forth with Hampton-Dumont leading by one point at 18-17 at the conclusion of the stanza.

Algona used the free throw line to take a 34-23 advantage at intermission as the squad went nine of 13 at the charity stripe in the period.

ARMSTRONG—North Union erupted for 29 first-quarter points and never looked back in an 83-46 Class 1A district opening win on Monday, Feb. 13 over the Northwood-Kensett Vikings.

The green-black-and-silver enjoyed a 29-17 lead at the end of the first period and increased their advantage to 49-38 at halftime. The home team also led 72-38 heading into the final eight minutes of action.

HAMPTON—Hampton-Dumont sank six free throws in the final minute to secure a 65-62 non-conference boys’ basketball victory over the Bishop Garrigan Golden Bears on Thursday, Feb. 9.

The black-and-gold led the entire first half before the home team used a big third stanza to take the lead for good and went onto the win.

By Greg Grabianowski

Sports Editor

CORALVILLE—Harley Tobin and Abbe Gorham each won two matches at the state wrestling tournament on Thursday, Feb. 2 and Friday, Feb. 3 but did not place for the Algona Bulldog girls’ wrestling squad.

Tobin opened the tournament on Thursday by making quick work of Kourtney King of South Central Calhoun by fall in 1:10 and came back about an hour later with a fall in 4:41 over Elizabeth Elliott of Newton.

By Greg Grabianowski

Sports Editor

CORALVILLE—Harley Tobin and Abbe Gorham each won two matches at the state wrestling tournament on Thursday, Feb. 2 and Friday, Feb. 3 but did not place for the Algona Bulldog girls’ wrestling squad.

Tobin opened the tournament on Thursday by making quick work of Kourtney King of South Central Calhoun by fall in 1:10 and came back about an hour later with a fall in 4:41 over Elizabeth Elliott of Newton.