SIOUX CITY NORTH 78, INDIANOLA 56

Sioux City North was at its running, pressing best in the opening game of the Class 4A tournament.

The second-ranked Stars had their high-octane offense in gear from the start and beat No. 12 Indianola 78-56 on Wednesday. That sends North, the state champion in 2007, into a semifinal game at noon on Friday with a 23-1 record.

Brittni Donaldson led North with 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Jalyssa Ceasar added 19 points and seven rebounds, while reserve Abby Axthelm contributed nine points and six steals.

The Stars harassed the Indianola ball-handlers with their full-court press and came up with 25 steals, which led to numerous layups and fast-break baskets.

And North was effective no matter who was on the court. After just 8 1/2 minutes of play, eight different players had scored for North. But the Stars' ability to score quickly was best illustrated during a brief stretch in the third quarter.

After trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half, Indianola drew to 38-33 on Brittannee Grove's layup, which capped a 9-1 run for the Indians. But North ran off 15 points in the next 90 seconds and finished the third quarter with a 23-4 run to open a commanding 61-37 lead.

Indianola made the tournament for the first time since 1992 and finished 17-7. Hannah Beeler led the Indians with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Jamie Elbert and Holly Steger each scored 12.