Class 2A State Basketball Tournament
Sibley-Ocheyedan 60, Iowa City Regina 39

Madison Brouwer is just as good on a basketball court as she is on a cross country course.

Brouwer scored 28 points and led in her team in a layup drill as fourth-seeded Sibley-Ocheyedan raced past Iowa City Regina Catholic 60-39 in a Class 2A quarterfinal that completed Day 2 of the 2023 state tournament.

The Class 1A cross country runner-up last fall, Brouwer made 12 of 19 shots – all of them right around the basket – pulled down 10 rebounds and made five steals to help send the Generals into a semifinal matchup with top-seeded Dike-New Hartford, winner of the last two state championships.

Zoe Ackerman added 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Generals, Marissa Ackerman had six points and seven rebounds and Olivia Hensch added six points and six assists. Bria Wasmund handed out seven assists, grabbed six rebounds and made two steals to go with three points.

Sibley-Ochedeyan kept the ball moving and ran at every opportunity. The Generals had assists on 18 of their 25 baskets and those field goals consisted of a 3-pointer, a short jump shot and 23 layups or other close-in shots. They shot 49 percent overall and 60 percent inside the arc (24-of-60) and forced 17 turnovers, which led to 18 points.

Morgan Miller led fifth-seeded Regina Catholic with 11 points and Grace Gaarde had 10 points and eight rebounds. Alli Clark added nine points and six rebounds for the Regals.

Sibley-Ocheyedan, which made it to state for the first time since 1997, took advantage of Regina’s early offensive struggles. The Generals jumped ahead 8-0 as Regina missed its first 10 shots and led the rest of the way.

Regina drew to 10-7 on Miller’s deep 3 at the first-quarter buzzer, but the Regals would get no closer. Brouwer, a senior who’ll run cross country and track at South Dakota, scored six points in an 11-2 run that stretched the lead to 21-9 and the Generals led 28-12 at halftime.

It was more of the same in the second half as they pushed the ball up the floor and got inside for easy baskets, running off nine straight points for a 37-14 lead and closing the third quarter with a 10-2 run to open a 49-22 lead heading into the final quarter.

Sibley-Ocheyedan and Dike-New Hartford will meet at 10 a.m. Friday, with the winner advancing to the championship game. The Generals also have have won two state titles, taking home the six-player championship in 1986 and the 2A crown in 1996.

Regina Catholic, which made it state for the second straight year and ninth time overall, finishes 21-5.