'Cats nab share of division title

Girls basketball

     A big victory over North Linn, and two other conference wins, enabled the Maquoketa Valley girls basketball team to secure a tie for the Tri-Rivers Conference, West Division championship.

     The Wildcats tied with North Linn for the title, each with 13-1 records. MV is 18-2 overall.

     The key was a 60-52 win at North Linn Feb. 3, in which the Wildcats broke a 37-37 tie after three quarters and outscored the Lynx 23-15 in the final period.

     Sam Wall scored 17 points, Emerson Whittenbaugh added 15 and Maci Freiburger had 14. Whittenbaugh completed a double-double with 11 rebounds. Maddy Anderegg had nine points, and Ella Imler made four assists. MV trailed 27-21 at halftime.

     Prior to that, the Wildcats scored a 61-53 home win over Springville Feb. 1. Four MV players scored in double figures: Wall with 14 points, Anderegg and Whittenbaugh with 13 apiece, and Imler with 11. Whittenbaugh also had eight rebounds. Freiburger blocked two shots.

     On Feb. 4, the Wildcats earned a 64-36 home win over Starmont, led by Wall with 22 points, Imler with 17 and Whittenbaugh with 15. Taya Tucker and Whittenbaugh had five rebounds apiece. Imler had six assists, and Freiburger had two more blocks.

Wrestling

     Maquoketa Valley won a match in the regional duals tournament Feb. 5 at Lisbon, before losing in the finals to the host school.

     The Wildcats won their semifinal match 54-24 over Wilton. Winning by pin for MV were Michael Schaul at 126 pounds, James LeGassick at 170, Carter Kruse at 182, and Canyon Richardson at 120. The ‘Cats also received five forfeit victories.

     MV then lost to Lisbon 60-24 in the finals. LeGassick at 170, Kruse at 182 and Michael Feldmann at 220 all won by fall, and Anthony March won by forfeit.

     On Feb. 9, three Maquoketa Valley wrestlers competed in the Class 1A district meet at Jesup, but none of the three were able to advance to state competition.

     Two of them finished third: LeGassick at 170 pounds and Feldmann at 220. In each case, they lost a semifinal match, won a third place match, but didn’t get the chance to wrestle back for a true second spot because their semifinal opponents lost in the finals.

     Parker Sternhagen finished fourth at 145 pounds.

     As a team, MV was ninth with 20 points. Don Bosco was the runaway winner with 194.

     “We as a coaching staff are very proud of the attitudes and efforts displayed by our team at regional duals and at districts,” MV head coach Tim Andrews said. “At regional duals we beat a Wilton team that beat us in early January, and then we put up 24 points on the third-ranked team in the state.

     “This team has come a long way since the beginning of the season, and has definitely showed us what it is capable of in the future.”

Boys basketball

     Maquoketa Valley played four games in the space of five days within the Tri-Rivers Conference, and was unable to come up with a win.

     The Wildcats (3-11, 8-12) played host to Springville Feb. 1, and lost 63-48 despite having three double-figures scorers. Brian Heims had 15 points, A.J. Ambundo had 11 and Andrew Holtz added 10. Heims had a double-double, collecting 11 rebounds.

     On Feb. 3, MV lost 101 to 28 at North Linn. Holtz had 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

     At home against Starmont Feb. 4, MV lost 52-29. Ambundo had 17 points and eight rebounds. Blake Becker had seven rebounds. Isaac Zirtzman came off the bench and had five points and four blocked shots.

     Next, the Wildcats played host to Edgewood-Colesburg Feb. 5, and lost 72-47. Heims had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Holtz had 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Owen Mensen, Adam Goedken and Becker had seven points apiece.