After Cascade used outstanding defense to advance in Class 3A, MOC-Floyd Valley turned in a solid effort of its own on the defensive end.

 

    The second-ranked Lady Dutch held No. 13 Mid-Prairie to 25 percent shooting and got a double-double from star Alexis Conaway in beating the Golden Hawks 51-30.

 

    Conaway scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and added two blocks, three steals and two assists to her stat line. Emily McDonald scored 10 points for the Lady Dutch on 5-for-8 shooting, while Rylee Yaw had nine points, six rebounds and three steals.

 

    MOC-Floyd Valley, the state runner-up last year, improved to 24-1 and will play in a semifinal game at 5 p.m. Thursday. Mid-Prairie ends the season with an 18-8 record.

 

    MOC-Floyd Valley bolted to a 16-3 lead in the first 7 minutes, then kept the Golden Hawks at bay with its defense the rest of the way. In the previous game, Cascade advance to the semifinals in the other bracket by holding Bondurant-Farrar to five field goals in a 33-26 victory.

 

    Mid-Prairie chipped away at a 14-point lead in the third quarter and drew to 35-26 entering the final period. But as the fourth quarter got under way, Conaway grabbed a loose ball in the lane, was fouled as she made the layup and sank the free throw for a three-point play. She followed that with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, part of a 10-2 run that put the game away.

 

    Mallory McArtor led Mid-Prairie with 10 points and Erika Murphy scored nine for the Golden Hawks, who won the Class 2A championship in 2002 and made the state tournament for the first time since 2004.