MISSOURI VALLEY -- Bolstered by four first-half 3-pointers and solid man-to-man defense, the AHSTW girls basketball team scored the first 10 points of the game en route to an 18-point lead and held off Missouri Valley, 46-40, Friday night to sweep the season series. Taking their biggest lead at 26-8, the Lady Vikes led 26-10 at halftime and maintained a double-digit edge for most of the second half. Mo.

 TRI-CENTER -- Paige Gaskill’s season-high 17 points gave IKM-Manning the boost it needed Friday night as the Wolves outlasted Tri-Center, 46-36, to snap the Trojan girls’ six-game winning streak. IKM-M trailed 19-17 at the half before outscoring T-C 29-17 after the break, improving to 11-4 overall and 8-4 in the Western Iowa Conference. Gaskill, who had played in only seven previous games, took advantage of her opportunity Friday as Madi Ling

 DUNLAP -- All five Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton starters scored in double figures Friday night, combining for every Spartan point as the 2nd-ranked team in Class 1-A girls basketball won 58-43 at Boyer Valley. Exira-EHK established an 18-9 lead after one quarter and was able to build on it the rest of the way, improving its unblemished record to 15-0 overall and 14-0 in the Rolling Valley Conference. Spartan junior Mara Burmeister hit 4-of-9 thr

 MOUNT AYR -- Harlan Community wrestlers Austin Knudson and Jacob Wingert were both named to the All-Tournament Team and two other Cyclones also finished with unbeaten records as HCHS placed second out of nine teams in the Ron Scott Memorial Dual Tournament, held January 15-16 at Mount Ayr. Shenandoah won the team championship with an 8-0 record, followed by HCHS (7-1), Lathrop, Missouri (6-2) and Riverside (5-3). The Cyclones beat Shenandoah

 MISSOURI VALLEY -- Missouri Valley put together a 22-2 second-half run to storm past AHSTW, 55-47, in Western Iowa Conference boys basketball action Friday night. The Vikings led by eight points on three occasions in the third quarter before Justin Miller sparked Mo. Valley’s surge with a driving three-point play. Seth Svedja added 11 points during the decisive run and finished with a game-high 23 for the Big Reds.

 HARLAN – Max Langenfeld’s two-game series of 404 marked the best score of the night at Cyclone Lanes as Harlan Community swept  Monday’s co-ed bowling dual vs. Denison-Schleswig. The Cyclone boys defeated the Monarchs for the second time this season, winning by 77 pins (2,584 to 2,507) while the Cyclone girls avenged an earlier loss to Denison, 2,350 to 2,085.

 MANNING -- For as well as the IKM-Manning girls played in Tuesday’s third quarter versus Audubon, the Wheelers turned the tables and played just as well or better in the fourth. The result was another close loss for the senior-less Wolves, who are still learning how to finish games as they strive to peak at the end of a still-promising season. Trailing 27-23 at the half, IKM-Manning outscored the Wheelers 24-11 in the third to take a nine-poi

 MANNING -- With less than six minutes to go in the third quarter Tuesday night, the situation looked bleak for IKM-Manning. Outplayed by Audubon for most of the first half, the 8th-ranked (1-A) Wolves had just fallen behind 44-29 following a seven-point Wheeler possession that included a technical foul on IKM-M coach Keith Wagner. The once 9-0 Wolves, who lost their previous game at Missouri Valley, appeared in jeopardy of falling for the thi

STATE – The Iowa High School Athletic Association on Wednesday released the state’s new district football assignments for 2016 and 2017, along with several adjustments to the playoff structure. Harlan Community (Class 3-A, District 7), IKM-Manning and AHSTW (Class 1-A, District 7) and Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton (8-Player, District 7) will all compete in eight-team districts over the next two years. The Cyclones’ new district will look much the

 GLENWOOD -- For the Harlan Community girls basketball team, it’s a good time for a little break in the action. Playing their sixth game in 12 days since the end of the holiday break, the top-ranked (4-A) Cyclones looked a little lethargic at times but scored the final 11 points to beat Glenwood, 53-35, on Saturday. The upset-minded Rams pulled within seven points on Molly Dean’s three-pointer and putback early in the fourth quarter before bei

 GLENWOOD -- Harlan Community scored the first basket of the game and took a brief one-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Other than that, the third-ranked (3-A) Cyclones played catch-up for 32 minutes Saturday night and ultimately fell two points short in a 57-55 conference defeat at Glenwood. The unranked Rams, who also picked up a big Hawkeye Ten win at Atlantic Tuesday before losing a non-league game at St.

 DES MOINES -- Harlan Community baseball coach Steve Daeges will be one of five individuals inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Saturday evening (January 23) in West Des Moines. The Hall of Fame and awards banquet will be held at 6:00 p.m.

 MOUNT AYR -- Losing only to Shenandoah, the Harlan Community wrestling team placed second with a 7-1 record at the Ron Scott Memorial Dual Tournament in Mount Ayr this past weekend. HCHS is now 15-7 on the season going into Tuesday’s 5:30 p.m. home quad vs.

 HARLAN -- Ethan Knudson’s 19 points led 13 Harlan Community players in the scoring column Friday night as the 3rd-ranked Cyclones utilized their reserves early and often in a 76-41 win over Clarinda. HCHS built a 51-21 halftime lead and cruised the rest of the way, improving to 10-1 overall and 7-0 in conference play.

 CLARINDA -- The Harlan Community girls outscored Clarinda 22-3 in the second quarter Friday night en route to a 58-21 Hawkeye Ten road win. Playing its first game as the new number-one ranked team in Class 4-A, HCHS improved to 6-0 in conference games and 11-1 overall.