Posted: Mar 06, 2024
Eagles Win Region 11-A Tournament
Cedar Rapids, IA- Kirkwood claimed yet another Regional Championship etching another mark in school history, their 22nd to be exact, with an 86-63 victory over Iowa Central on Monday night in the Region 11-A championship.
The game was much like a yo-yo, as every time Kirkwood would pull away, Iowa Central would make a run to stay in the game.
The Eagles (30-2) jumped out to an early 18-12 lead after a quarter of play.
However, Iowa Central would cut the lead to 20-15 early in the second quarter.
Kirkwood responded with an 11-2 run of their own to stretch the lead to 31-17 midway through the second quarter.
The Eagles would take their largest lead of the first half at 40-20 on a three-pointer by freshman Jenna Twedt with 3:41 remaining in the half.
Once again though, Iowa Central closed the gap with an 8-3 run, as Kirkwood held a 43-28 advantage at halftime.
Sophomore Emily Dreckman extended the Eagles to 18 at 53-35 with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter with one of her five three-pointers on the night.
Just as they had done in the first half, Iowa Central continued to hang around as they cut into the Eagles lead.
Kirkwood would lead 61-51 heading into the final quarter of play.
Any last run the Tritons had was quickly squashed, as the Eagles would outscore them 25-12 in the final quarter to claim another Region 11 championship.
Twedt led the Eagles in scoring with a game-high 25 points. Dreckman finished with 17 points. The duo combined to go 11- 24 from three-point range, with Dreckman connecting on 5-12 from deep & Twedt going 6-12.
Sophomore Demetria Prewitt recorded yet another double-double as she finished with 16 points & a game-high 13 rebounds.
Sophomore Zhakyla Evans recorded her first career double-double, as she finished with 6 points, a career-high 11 assists & a career-high 11 rebounds.
The Eagles once again dominated the boards, as they outrebounded Iowa Central 54-30, including 23 offensive rebounds.
Prewitt, Evans & Twedt were all named to the Region 11-A All-Tournament team, with Twedt being named the MVP of the tournament.
The Eagles will now host North Platte on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm in the District Championship with the winner advancing to the NJCAA National Tournament in Joplin, MO.
