DES MOINES -- Only time will tell if Wednesday’s Girls State Basketball quarterfinal marked a symbolic passing of the 4-A torch from Harlan Community to Marion. HCHS has become a Class 4-A dynasty, of sorts, during Zach Klaassen’s four years as head coach, winning 95 games, playing in four state tournaments and claiming two championships and one runner-up trophy. But it certainly looks like Marion is poised to enjoy 4-A’s next sustained run o

 DES MOINES -- The Harlan Community and Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton girls basketball teams were both defeated in the first round of the Girls State Basketball Tournament this week, the Cyclones losing to Marion Wednesday and the Spartans falling to Newell-Fonda on Monday.

 DES MOINES -- The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton girls attempted 37 fewer shots than Newell-Fonda in Monday’s Class 1-A state tournament quarterfinal, turning the ball over 29 times and allowing 22 offensive rebounds. Yet there the Spartans were, leading the defending state champs by a point with three quarters in the books. And that’s when Newell-Fonda reaffirmed exactly why it has played in the last three state title games. Tweaking their press

 DES MOINES -- IKM-Manning’s first-round opponent at the Boys State Basketball Tournament features two 20-point scorers and plays a fast, pressuring style. How well the Wolves can slow tempo and play under control will go a long way in determining their success in Monday’s Class 1-A quarterfinal vs.

 ATLANTIC -- No one could blame IKM-Manning’s players and coaches for being a bit jubilant Saturday night. This post-game celebration, after all, had been a full year in the making. Twelve months after losing a substate final heartbreaker vs.

 DES MOINES -- If Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton defeated Newell-Fonda on Monday, the Spartans will play in Thursday’s Class 1-A semifinals at the Girls State Basketball Tournament. The 2nd-ranked Spartans (23-0) faced the No. 7 Mustangs (18-6) in Monday’s quarterfinal round at Wells Fargo Arena. The winner will play either No. 3 Springville (23-1) or No. 6 Kingsley-Pierson (21-2) on Thursday at 11:45 a.m.

 DES MOINES -- Three wins away from a three-peat, Harlan Community is poised to make history in its fourth consecutive trip to the Girls State Basketball Tournament. Ranked third in Class 4-A, the two-time defending state champion Cyclones (20-2) will open defense of their titles on Wednesday morning against 7th-ranked Marion (19-4). The state quarterfinal game will tip off at 11:45 a.m.

 DENISON -- Thursday’s Class 3-A, District 1 final dealt a harsh case of déjà vu at the Harlan Community boys basketball team. For the second straight year, the Cyclones’ season ended abruptly in the district finals with an overtime loss to a sub-.500 team.

 CARROLL -- The AHSTW boys basketball team lost a hard-fought battle vs. Ridge View, 53-50, in a Class 2-A district semifinal game on Thursday, February 18, at Kuemper Catholic. The Vikings finished the season at 10-11 overall. R.J. Harris and Blaine Lees led AHSTW in defeat with 20 and 19 points, respectively, and also combined for 16 boards.

MANNING -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton’s boys basketball season ended in the Class 1-A district semifinals last Tuesday following a one-point loss to Paton-Churdan, 38-37. The Rolling Valley Conference rivals had previously split two regular season games which were also closely-contested. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 17-6. 

REGIONAL -- The IKM-Manning boys basketball team posted lopsided Class 1-A district wins over Audubon (Tuesday) and Paton-Churdan (Thursday) to set up its Substate 7 final win over Nodaway Valley Saturday night. IKM-M outscored Audubon 46-17 in Tuesday’s second half to pull away for a 76-43 district semifinal win in Manning. Kyle Wagner nearly matched the Wheelers on his own, scoring 38 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists.

 HARLAN -- In the win-or-go-home world of postseason basketball, sometimes rivalry trumps record. So while Monday night’s Class 3-A boys district semifinal looked like a mismatch on paper, Denison-Schleswig gave Harlan Community all it could handle on the court. The fifth-ranked Cyclones survived in the end, getting 33 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks from Kyle Juhl to hold off the Monarchs, 67-61, in Harlan.

 HARLAN -- From a game-opening 15-1 run to its mild-mannered victory celebration, the Harlan Community girls basketball team was all business Tuesday night in a 55-32, Class 4-A regional final win over Spencer. But as the third-ranked Cyclones prepare to chase a championship three-peat in their fourth consecutive state tourney appearance, one gets the feeling that this team has yet to reach its pinnacle performance level. If they get there, it

 RED OAK -- Throughout another season-long journey to the Girls State Basketball Tournament, two constants have existed for Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton. Defense and winning. It’s only fitting that those two things went hand-in-hand again Monday night as the unbeaten, 2nd-ranked Spartans survived a major test from Nodaway Valley to win 41-35 in a Class 1-A, Region 7 final at Red Oak. After trailing for much of the first half, Exira-EHK sped to a

 PLEASANT HILL -- The Harlan Community bowlers fell short of qualifying any teams or individuals for state this year after competing in the Class 1-A, District 2 State Qualifying Tournament held February 16 at Pleasant Hill’s Great Escape. The Cyclone boys placed second out of six teams with a total score of 2,697, while the girls placed third with a score of 2,132. Knoxville earned both state qualifier berths, posting scores of 2,828 (boys) a