Class 2A State Basketball Tournament
Dike-New Hartford 68, Aplington-Parkersburg 34
The Petersen twins recorded double-doubles and Dike-New Hartford got the Class 2A tournament under way with yet another dominating victory.
The top-seeded Wolverines, seeking their third consecutive state championship, used a 19-0 second-quarter run to build a 30-point lead and cruised to a 68-34 victory over conference rival Aplington-Parkersburg in a quarterfinal matchup.
Payton Petersen, the all-tournament captain each of the past two years, put up 15 points and 15 rebounds and added two steals as the Wolverines achieved near-perfect balance in their scoring.
Jayden Petersen had 12 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals, Ellary Knock and Maryn Bixby each scored 12 and Camille Landphair added 11. Knock grabbed eight rebounds and made three steals, while Bixby and Landphair each made three 3-pointers.
Kendall Riherd led eighth-seeded Aplington-Parkersburg with 10 points in a game that matched schools just 15 miles apart. Dike-New Hartford also won the two regular season meetings with the Falcons, both by decisive margins.
With a frontline of three 6-footers, Dike-New Hartford outrebounded the Falcons 48-23 and grabbed 24 offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive. The Falcons also forced 17 turnovers and converted them into 34 points.
Dike-New Hartford led from the start, scoring the game’s first seven points and taking an 18-7 lead after the opening quarter. The Wolverines then rattled off the first 19 points of the second quarter for a 37-7 lead and were up 43-11 at halftime.
When Payton Petersen spun into the lane and banked in a layup for a 46-11 lead at the 6:31 mark in the third quarter, she triggered a running clock that lasted the rest of the game. That was part of an 11-0 run that gave the Wolverines their biggest lead at 54-11.
Dike-New Hartford, which has lost only to defending 1A champion Algona Bishop Garrigan, goes into a semifinal game at 10 a.m. Friday with a 24-1. The Wolverines now have won seven straight games in state tournament play.
Aplington-Parkersburg, which reached the state tournament for the fifth time, finishes 20-5.The Falcons won each of their regional games by double figures, but as they knew coming in, Dike-New Hartford plays at another level.