The Grundy Center girls basketball team will look for a road upset of #4 (2A) North Mahaska in Friday’s 2A Region 5 semifinal.
The Spartans (15-7) advanced with Tuesday’s 58-40 win over Alburnett, where they shot less than 40 percent, but connected on 18/22 free throws in an 18-point win. Head Coach Matt Lindeman says those trips to the free throw line can be game changers.
“We’ve obviously hung our hat defensively, but we’ve had a couple of quarters that have been uncharacteristic for us defensively the last couple of games,” Lindeman says. “We’ve got to get back to that piece a little bit. And then offensively, we’ve got to be able to execute. The games that we’ve been able to get to the free throw line have been really, really good games for us. That’s always a goal, to get to the line double digits and more than our opponent. And then we’ve got to limit second chance points. Those are always things that are big, especially in girls basketball.”
North Mahaska (20-2) is the top seed in the region, and advanced with a 58-50 win over Pella Christian in Tuesday’s quarterfinal. That night, they battled from a first quarter deficit to win a close one down the stretch. Breckyn Schilling is the leader of three double digit per game scorers with 13.6 points per game.
The tipoff will be at 7:00 p.m. The winner will advance to Wednesday’s regional final against either Jesup or Hudson.
