VAN METER — The most successful season in several years ended for the Woodward-Granger girls basketball team with a 48-36 loss to Van Meter in the Class 2A Region 7 semifinals Friday.
W-G finished 18-5 overall, their most wins since a 19-5 campaign in 2012-2013. Van Meter (15-8) will play No. 3 North Linn (21-2) in Marshalltown Wednesday in the Region 7 Final.
Van Meter had topped host W-G, 40-37, Jan. 23, the only regular season meeting between the WCAC foes. On Friday all the damage the host Bulldogs needed to inflict was dealt in the first quarter, which ended with the hosts holding a nine-point edge, at 14-5.
That margin stood hardly changed throughout the contest, as the guests were never quite able to make a substantial dent in their deficit. The Bulldogs led, 26-17, at the half and 32-23 after three frames.
Finley Fitzgerald led W-G with 13 points, with Emma Anderson adding 11. Natalie Helbling, Quinn Kaufman, Ava Petersen and Darby Nixon had three points apiece for the Hawks, who were playing without injured senior starter Mae Anderson.
Fitzgerald made two 3-pointers, with Emma Anderson, Kaufman, Nixon, and Petersen each splashing one trey.
Clair Lauterbach led all scorers with 16 points for the Bulldogs. Zoie Vaught had 10 points, Josie Durflinger eight, and Jorja Hanselsman six. Four points form Natalie Barth and two apiece from Maya Herman and Chaney Coppinger capped the Van Meter scoring.
W-G will lose the services of four seniors: Mae Anderson, Katelyn Scharlau, Helbling, and Kaufman. The Hawks are coached by Gary Dresback.
