MANCHESTER — The emotions just came flowing out.
To say the Maquoketa Valley girls’ basketball team was playing not only for those who were there for Wednesday night’s Class 2A regional final against Dyersville Beckman, they were playing for those who were not.
Moments after the Wildcats held off a late Trailblazers charge to win 43-37 at West Delaware High School, memories of lost classmates Anna Nefzger and Teige Hunt were evident. Nefzger died in an ATV accident near Delaware in 2016. Hunt lost his life in a drowning incident on Lake Delhi last July. Both would have been part of the current senior class.
“I’m just so happy for these kids,” said Maquoketa Valley Coach Scot Moenck. “They’ve gone through a lot over the years. They’ve lost a couple of friends and it has been tough for them.”
Senior Taya Tucker, who scored the first 10 points of the game for the Wildcats, said the team talked about it before the game.
“We had to play for those who can’t be here and for those who would like to be here and can’t play,” she said. “We were playing this for the whole community and for those who couldn’t be here.”
The Wildcats, ranked No. 1 all season, take a 23-0 record to the state tournament. They will play their state quarterfinal Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Rock Valley (16-9) at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Beckman, which was in search of its first state tournament berth, retires at 13-11.
Moenck wasn’t surprised by Tucker’s quick start. The 5-foot-9 senior hit four straight shots, including a pair of 3-point baskets, as Maquoketa Valley shot to a quick 10-2 lead.
“I really felt dialed in,” Tucker said. “I just knew I had to come out strong and be there for the team. Most people don’t see me as a 3-point shooter, so I got a couple of good looks.”
Beckman cut the gap to 13-9 after the first quarter, but came up empty in the second as a tenacious Wildcats defense pitched a shutout. Reserve Kennedy Rausch hit three 3-point baskets in the quarter, stretching the Maquoketa Valley lead to 26-9 at the break.
“I really didn’t feel that comfortable,” Moenck said. “Beckman has been one of the hottest teams in the state and I knew they would come out hard in the second half.”
The Trailblazers did cut into the margin, getting it under 10 three different times, only to see the Wildcats answer. A late flurry cut the final margin to six.
Tucker said the Wildcats won’t be intimidated when they hit the floor in Des Moines.
“It’s going to be different because we’ve never played there before,” Tucker said. “What won’t be different is that we are going to come out strong and play the same way we did tonight.”
Tucker was the only Wildcat to finish in double figures, scoring 16 points. Lauren Osterhaus (11), Lil McDermott (10) and Kennedy Arens (10) led the offense for Beckman.
DYERSVILLE BECKMAN (37): Lauren Osterhaus 4 1-1 11, Lil McDermott 4 0-0 10, Shelby Pric 1 0-0 2, Keeley Schmitt 1 0-0 2, Kennedy Arens 3 2-2 10, Jenna Lansing 1 0-2 2, Kamryn Klas 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 3-5 37.
MAQUOKETA VALLEY (43): Carissa Sabers 2 0-0 5, Kylie Chesnut 1 0-0 2, Ella Imler 2 2-3 7, Taya Tucker 7 0-2 16, Emerson Whittenbaugh 2 0-0 4, Kennedy Rausch 3 0-0 9. Totals: 17 2-7 43.
Halftime: Maquoketa Valley 26, Beckman 9. 3-point goals: Beckman 6 (Osterhaus 2, McDermott 2, Arens 2). Maquoketa Valley 7 (Rausch 3, Tucker 2, Sabers, Imler). Total fouls: Beckman 15, Maquoketa Valley 10. Fouled out: McDermott. Technical fouls: none.
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Emotions flow as Maquoketa Valley advances to girls' state basketball tournament - The Gazette
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