Dallas Center-Grimes is headed back to the Class 4A semifinals.
The Mustangs are the top seed in the field and played like one in rolling past eighth-seeded Benton Community 64-38 to start the 4A tournament.
Dallas Center-Grimes (21-3) made six of its first seven shots in jumping to a 14-3 lead and was never seriously challenged. The Mustangs shot 56 percent overall (23-of-41) and were just as effective from 3-point range, going 10-for-19.
They’ve now won 15 straight since losing to Class 5A power Johnston on Dec. 21 and will play in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Benton (19-6) had upset sixth-ranked Grinnell – a team that beat Dallas Center-Grimes during the regular season – to earn its first state tournament trip since 2013. But the Bobcats could not keep up in this one, especially with the way the Mustangs shot.
Ella Lampe led the winners with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-5 from long range. Elle Nelsen added 11 points and five rebounds, while Emma Miner had nine points, six rebounds and six assists. Finley Fitzgerald came off the bench to make 4-of-5 shots and score nine points.
Sophomore McKenna Kramer led Benton with 18 points on six 3-point baskets. Jenna Twedt scored 11 and Emma Townsley added six for the Bobcats, who are likely to be heard from again. They had only one senior in the starting lineup, which included three sophomores.
Benton found its shooting touch after Dallas Center-Grimes’ torrid start and made a brief run at the Mustangs in the second quarter. Townsley hit a 3 and Kramer followed with three more, the last cutting the lead to 27-22.
The Mustangs answered with a long-range flurry of their own. Miner buried a shot from beyond the arc and Lampe hit two more, producing a 36-22 halftime lead. The Mustangs led 45-30 after three quarters and blew it open with a 16-3 run in the first 4 ½ minutes of the final quarter.