Glenwood Into State Semifinals

Six players scored in double-figures and Glenwood pulled away late in a high-scoring, 89-75 victory over Gilbert in the Class 4A state quarterfinals in Des Moines today.

The Rams struggled at times to cage the Tigers’ offense – especially guard Ava Hawthorne who scored a game-high 31 points – but got the stops they needed on several crucial second-half possessions and hit their free throws down the stretch to win their first state tournament game since 1979.

“I’m happy for the girls,” said Glenwood coach Brian Rasmussen after the game. “They’ve worked hard for this and they played well. It was a long wait to get to this game but I’m happy with how we played.”

Glenwood (25-0) will play  No. 6-seeded Council Bluffs Lewis Central (20-5) in Thursday’s 6:45 p.m. semifinal. The Titans defeated Ballard, 47-46, in Tuesday's quarterfinals. The Rams have beaten the Titans twice this season. Saturday's Class 4A championship is Saturday at 3 p.m.

Against Gilbert, the Rams battled back-and-forth with the Tigers (19-4) for much of the first half. The teams traded baskets and offered little resistance on defense. But Glenwood put together a 9-4 run to close the first half to go up 45-39 at intermission. They opened the second half on a 6-3 streak – and in a match-up zone on defense – that seemed to settle them into a comfortable lead.

The Tigers trailed by as many as 11 in the third quarter but they kept clawing.  Back-to-back Ram turnovers netted a 5-0 run to close the score to 66-65 with five minutes to go.

To add to the Rams woes, Jenna Hopp – who had scored 21 points to lead Glenwood to that point – went to the bench with her fifth foul.

But Glenwood never panicked. 

A three-point play by Abby Hughes, free throws by Camden and a runner by Scarborough pushed the lead back to 73-65. 

Gilbert would never get closer than six points the rest of the way.

The Rams outscored the Tigers 22-10 over the final five minutes. Guard Madison Camden came up big in the second half, scoring nine of her 21 points in the fourth quarter. Glenwood also hit 9-of-11 free throws the final 3:47. For the game Glenwood was 35-of-45 at the line compared the Tigers’ 9-of-13.

The six players in double-figures wasn’t a first for Glenwood this season but it couldn’t have come on a bigger stage. Hopp and Camden led the way with 21 points each. Elle Scarborough added 15 and Brynlee Arnold 10. Abby Hughes and Coryl Matheny came off the bench to chip in 12 and 10 points each, respectively. The Rams’ bench out scored the Tigers 22-3.

“We thought we were deeper than them and we wanted to keep attacking,” Rasmussen said. “That was our game plan. We wanted to attack and get layups and get free throws.”

The Opinion-Tribune

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