State girls basketball notebook: Former AGWSR coaching trio leads state qualifiers

Matt Lindeman, Jason Berkey and Bruce Dall roamed the sidelines together as part of the AGWSR football team's coaching staff about a decade ago.
  
Now, the three could cross paths again as opposing coaches on state-qualifying girls basketball teams in the Class 2A tournament – Lindeman with Grundy Center, Berkey with Aplington-Parkersburg and Dall with Dike-New Hartford.
  
Lindeman was the head coach for AGWSR for eight seasons, including playoff runs in 2004 and 2005. AGWSR reached the state semifinals in 2004. For times during that stint, Dall was defensive coordinator and Berkey was the special teams coach.
  
Dall was also the girls basketball coach at AGWSR, including during the Cougars' 2009 run to the state championship. Berkey was an assistant coach, along with Lindeman, for the boys basketball team under Russ Banzhaf.
  
All three are excited for each other's opportunities in Des Moines.
  
"You're talking about two of my best friends there," Lindeman said. "We go way back and I'm really happy for them. We've got great memories whether it was at practice or on the sidelines during games. … They know how to get the best out of athletes and I was fortunate to be able to coach with them."
 
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Poppens to join IGHSAU Basketball Hall of Fame
 
Chelsea Poppens, a former standout for Aplington-Parkersburg and Iowa State basketball, will be part of this year's class of IGHSAU Basketball Hall of Fame inductees.
  
She'll join Pocahontas' EaVon Almquist-Woodin and Muscatine's Jenny Noll as the group inducted during halftime of the Class 2A championship game on Saturday, March 2 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
  
Poppens was a three-time all-state selection with the Falcons and earned All-Big 12 honors twice with the Cyclones before embarking on a professional career with stops in the WNBA and overseas.
 
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Class 2A quarterfinal schedule
 
Tuesday, Feb. 26
 
6:45 p.m.: (1) Grundy Center vs. (8) Unity Christian
8:30 p.m.: (4) Cascade vs. (5) Dike-New Hartford
 
Wednesday, Feb. 27
 
10 a.m.: (2) Central Decatur vs. (7) Aplington-Parkersburg
11:45 a.m.: (3) Treynor vs. (6) North Linn
 
 
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