Iowa City Regina’s winning streak is still intact, but keeping it that way wasn’t easy.
The second-seeded Regals found themselves fending off seventh-seeded Maquoketa Valley throughout the game before pulling out a 53-47 victory to start Day 3 of the state tournament and move into the Class 2A semifinals.
Regina (24-1) twice seemed to have the game well in hand, leading by 10 midway through the third quarter and ahead 50-42 with under 3 minutes to play. But Maquoketa Valley (22-3) clawed back both times.
In the end, the Regals got the defensive stops they needed and sank three late free throws to secure their 15th straight victory.
Regina had nice balance among its top three scorers, Morgan Miller finishing with 17 points, Ella McLaughlin scoring 14 and freshman Addie McLaughlin adding 11. Miller filled out her line with eight rebounds, four steals and three assists, while Addie McLaughlin tacked on seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. Caitlin Martin gave the Regals a lift with nine rebounds and six rebounds.
Bianka Ronnebaum led Maquoketa Valley with 17 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Audra Burbridge added 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four steals.
Maquoketa Valley’s rebounding helped the Wildcats keep pace with Regina even while shooting only 37 percent. The Wildcats’ eight offensive rebounds in the first half led to a 15-2 edge in second-chance points – a big reason for the 28-28 tie at halftime. Regina did a better job on the boards in the second half, but Maquoketa Valley still finished with a 37-31 rebounding margin and 19 second-chance points.
The Wildcats ran their offense well and got good shots. They just couldn’t get enough of them to fall.
A key stretch came when the Wildcats missed two point-blank shots with the score tied at 42. Addie McLaughlin rebounded the second miss and took the ball the length of the court and made a layup, switching the ball from her left hand to right in mid-air.
Miller followed with a driving layup, Addie McLaughlin fed Martin for a short jumper and Miller went in for a layup after a steal, giving the Regals that 50-42 lead.
Grace Richter’s 3-pointer – just her fourth of the season – cut the lead to 50-47 with 1:15 left, but the Wildcats couldn’t get anything else to drop and Regina moved on.
