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Dunkerton 60, Lynnville-Sully 39

March 4th, 2026

DES MOINES, Iowa — Dunkerton pressed, ran and scored often in taking down the last remaining unbeaten team in Class 1A.

Forcing a string of turnovers with quick hands and aggressive play, the fifth-seeded Raiders rolled past Lynnville-Sully 60-39 to move into the state semifinals for the second time in program history.

Dunkerton hiked its record to 23-2 and will take on top-seeded Algona Bishop Garrigan at 1:30 p.m. Friday with a chance to reach the championship game for the first time. The Raiders’ only other appearance in the semifinals ended in an 81-62 loss to Newell-Fonda in 2008.

For long stretches, the Raiders looked a bit like Newell-Fonda, which built its long-held reputation on harassing, trapping defenses that turn over opponents and lead to a succession of fast-break layups.

Dunkerton came up with 15 steals in this one and forced 19 turnovers in all, which led to 19 points. Kylee Pexa led that charge with eight steals and added to that with 14 points and five assists.

Ava Fuelling topped the scoring with 22 points, going 6-for-9 from 3-point range and 8-for-11 overall. Hailey Kipp added 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Abbie Waskow posted six points, four rebounds and a steal.

Fourth-seeded Lynnville-Sully (24-1) had stormed through the season without much of a challenge, winning every game by at least 10 points. But the Hawks, who won three consecutive state championships in the late 1990s, had few answers for what the Raiders threw at them.

Isabelle Vos led Lynnville-Sully with eight points, while Breah Lowry and Brooke Hawthoorn each scored seven. The Hawks fell behind 12-3 less than 3 minutes in and never got into any rhythm on offense.

Dunkerton finished the first quarter with a 9-0 run for a 23-7 lead and never let up. The Raiders led 33-12 at halftime, holding the Hawks to 21 percent shooting over the first two quarters, and were up 52-22 heading into the final period. Less than a minute into the fourth quarter the lead was 56-22 and the Raiders coasted home from there.

 


Published: March 4th, 2026 in Basketball