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.