Wolverines fall short in regional final

INDEPENDENCE – The fifth-ranked Dike-New Hartford girls’ basketball team fell one game short of a state tournament berth in a Class 2A regional final against Iowa City Regina Monday night. The twelfth-ranked Regals started slow but quickly came alive, using sharp shooting and physical play to gain the advantage and take the win, 42-29.
Lizzy Blough scored the first six points of the game to help Dike-New Hartford to an 8-2 start in the opening quarter before the Regina shots started to fall. Early in the second quarter the Regals drained two consecutive 3-point shots to take their first lead of the game at 12-10. The two teams traded baskets and reached a score of 16-16 with a minute to go in the half, but Regina put in two quick shots to take a 20-16 lead at the buzzer.
Regina opened the second half with a 6-0 run to spread the lead to 26-16, while the Wolverine scoring went silent for over four minutes. A third quarter Blough assist to Oliva Verhulst for two cut the Regal lead to 30-24, but D-NH struggled offensively the remainder of the game and Regina took the win by 13.
 
For more of this story see the Feb. 26 Grundy Register.