Des Moines, Iowa — (IGHSAU) —- Marquette Catholic’s tall front line produced a double-double times three and that was more than enough to get the second-seeded Mohawks into the Class 1A semifinals for the second straight year.
Tori Michel, Miranda Peters and Ellie O’Brien all posted double figures in points and rebounds to lead Marquette Catholic to a 60-53 victory over a game but outsized Gehlen Catholic team.
Gehlen Catholic gave the Mohawks trouble early with its quickness and hustle and led by as many as seven points. In the end, though, Marquette Catholic’s physical advantage underneath eventually wore the Jays down. The Mohawks built a 55-41 rebounding advantage that included 22 offensive rebounds, which led to a 23-11 edge in second-chance points. Michel finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Peters came up with 17 points and 18 rebounds despite playing only 20 minutes because of foul trouble. O’Brien had added 10 points and 13 rebounds and playmaker Delaney Banowetz also scored 10.
Gehlen Catholic’s Sydney Livermore had a double-double of her own with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Lauren Heying and Katie Hill each scored 11 for the Jays, who reached the state tournament for just the second time in school history.
Marquette Catholic trailed 27-22 when Peters went to the bench with her fourth foul 70 seconds into the second half and the deficit grew to 33-26. But the Mohawks kept pounding the ball inside and eventually strung together a 7-0 run to go up 41-36 early in the fourth quarter. They remained ahead the rest of the way. Peters capped that run with a jumper in the lane and went on to score 11 fourth-quarter points to help keep the Mohawks in control.
Marquette Catholic, in the tournament for the fifth time in 10 years, takes a 24-1 record into a semifinal at 3:15 p.m. Friday.
Gehlen Catholic, which knocked off sixth-ranked MMCRU and ninth-ranked Kingsley-Pierson to earn its state tournament berth, finishes 15-10.
