DES MOINES, Iowa — Algona Bishop Garrigan hasn’t slowed much since winning back-to-back state championships in the Audi Crooks years. The Golden Bears are still winning and now they’re back in the state semifinals.
Garrigan advanced with a 64-42 victory over Lansing Kee to get the Class 1A portion of the state tournament under way. The top-seeded Golden Bears (23-2) reached the semifinal round for the sixth time in seven years and will continue their bid for another title at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
Junior Graclyn Eastman is the team’s latest star and she led the way with 24 points, making 11 of 17 shots and pulling down 14 rebounds. She also was a force as a rim protector, blocking four shots and coming up with seven steals.
Sacha Alesch added 12 points and Emmi Bartolo scored 10 to go with three rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Addison Winters’ 21 points led Kee (17-8), which upset fourth-ranked Springville in the regional finals to earn its third state tournament trip. The Kee Hawks are still looking for their first state tourney victory.
Rylee Mudderman added six points for Kee, plus seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. The Kee Hawks shot just 29.3 percent and were blanked on 16 shots from 3-point range. They were a respectable 17-for-41 inside the arc.
Eastman carried the scoring load for Garrigan until her teammates settled in. She made all but one of the Golden Bears’ seven field goals in the first quarter and had 18 points by halftime, when Garrigan led 29-16 despite making only one of 17 shots from distance.
Once those shots started falling, the Golden Bears broke it open. Bartolo knocked down two 3-pointers and Alesch hit one over the final 2 ½ minutes of the third quarter as Garrigan hiked its lead to 49-29.
Kee was able to trade baskets after that, but Garrigan was safely in front and led by as many as 24.
Garrigan lost to eventual state champion Council Bluffs St. Albert in the semifinals last year and is looking to get to the championship game for the first time since winning it in 2023.
