A young lineup continues to click for Sioux City Bishop Heelan.
Sophomore Brooklyn Stanley scored 23 points as the third-seeded Crusaders wrapped up the Class 4A quarterfinal round with a 54-33 victory over Waverly-Shell Rock.
Bishop Heelan broke open a close game with a big run at the start of the second half and will take a 22-2 record against second-seeded Glenwood in a semifinal at 6:45 p.m. Thursday. The Crusaders will be looking for their fifth trip to the finals and a chance to win a fourth state championship.
Junior Peyton Schermerhorn added 10 points for Bishop Heelan, which has only one senior. Sophomore Maddie Demke contributed six points and junior Lauryn Peck had five.
The Crusaders dominated the game in every area. They outrebounded the sixth-seeded Go-Hawks 29-12 and had a 12-0 edge in second-chance points. They also amassed a 28-10 advantage in points in the paint and a 25-7 bulge in points off turnovers.
Stanley was solid throughout her 29 minutes on the floor, making 10-of-14 shots, grabbing six rebounds and handing out an assist while committing only one turnover. She also sparked a 20-9 run that put the Crusaders in control, scoring twice on putbacks, making a layup on a pass from senior Joslyn Verzal and driving for another layup.
With that burst, Bishop Heelan went from leading 20-16 at halftime to 40-25 with a minute left in the third quarter. Waverly-Shell Rock never got closer than 14 points after that and the final 21-point margin was the Crusaders’ biggest of the game.
Trinidee Moore and Katelyn Eggena each scored eight points to lead Waverly-Shell Rock (18-6), which upset eighth-ranked North Polk in the regional finals to earn its sixth state tournament trip. Macy Smith had six points for the Go-Hawks, who could not keep pace once Bishop Heelan started making shots.
The Crusaders shot 67 percent in the second half (10-for-15) and 48.7 percent for the game.