2011 Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament

Class 3A First Round

Mount Vernon 53, Benton Community 38

A classification change is making no difference for Mount Vernon.

Mount Vernon moved up to Class 3A after winning the 2A championship last year and is headed back to the state tournament semifinals after a 53-38 victory over Benton Community.

Taylor Dicus, last year's all-tournament captain, led the Mustangs with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Micah Wieditz added 11 points, Amanda Platte scored 10 and Courtney Kintzel contributed nine points and nine rebounds.

Sophomore Madison Weekly led Benton with 12 points and Katie Kullmer scored eight.

Mount Vernon ran off 12 straight points in the first quarter to go up 12-2 and led the rest of the way. Benton got to within a point late in the second quarter and trailed just 26-23 after Kullmer hit a jumper at the 5:43 mark in third quarter.

But the Bobcats never got any closer. A Wieditz 3-pointer triggered an 11-0 run that stretched the lead to 37-23. After Megan Renfer knocked down a 3 for Benton, the Mustangs came back with eight consecutive points to put it out of reach.

Mount Vernon will take a 23-2 record against sixth-ranked Central DeWitt at 7:45 p.m. Thursday.

Benton Community played in the state tournament for the first time and brought a young team that had only four seniors. The Bobcats finish 20-5, with two of those losses coming to Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon won 66-52 in the second game of the regular season.