Sports

Des Moines, Iowa — Unity Christian earned their way to the State Tournament finals for the 3rd straight year after they topped Iowa City Regina 53-45 in Des Moines.

Class 2A’s matchup of the #2 and #3 teams started off with Unity jumping out to an 8-0 lead over the Regals. Unity would lead 8-2 going into the 2nd quarter. The Regals would charge out of the gate in the 2nd quarter, but Unity Christian would maintain their lead. By the midway point Unity would lead 23-10. The Knights would start the 2nd half with a 8-0 run, and by the quarter’s end the Unity would lead 36-19. Iowa City Regina would not go quietly into the night. The Regals would catch fire from beyond the arc with 5 three pointers in the first 4 minutes of the 4th quarter and pull to within 4. The Knights would respond by getting key points from the charity stripe and coming away with the win 53-45.

Unity had 3 players in double figures. Anna Kiel had a game high 18 points. Deidra Noteboom and Chanda Zomermaand each added 11. Iowa City Regina had 3 players in double figures. Mary Crompton led the Regals with 13 points, all in the fourth quarter. Greyson Dumont and Sarah Lehman each added a dozen.

(24-1) Unity Christian will play (24-2) Western Christian Friday night at 8:00 pm for the Class 2A Championship.

Spirit Lake, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issues a weekly fishing report on Thursdays in an effort to provide the latest information heading into the weekend. The weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys, and county and state parks staff. For more information contact the Spirit Lake fish Hatchery at 712-336-1840.

NORTHWEST

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)

Remaining ice on Storm Lake should be considered unsafe. There are already areas of open water near shore, near the islands, and the inlet. More reports will be added once open water fishing begins.

Big Spirit Lake

Ice conditions: 12-16 inches of ice but thickness varied. Use caution while on the ice. Yellow Perch – Fair: Anglers are picking up some nice perch off of Bakers point and north of the pump house in 20 feet of water. Try small silver spoons or gold tear drops tipped with maggots or wax worms.

Center Lake

Ice conditions: 12-14 inches of ice but conditions varied. The aeration system is in use. Use caution while on the ice. Fishing activity was minimal the past week.

East Okoboji Lake

Ice condition: 12-14 inches of ice but thickness varied. Use caution while on the ice. Yellow Bass – Good: Some nice yellow bass have been caught out in front of Parks Marina. Tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms work well. Keep moving to find active schools of fish. Yellow Perch – Fair: Anglers have been picking up some nice perch on Peppermint point and in front of Parks Marina. Pilkie type lures or tungsten jigs tipped with maggots or wax work well.

Minnewashta Lake

Ice conditions:15-17 inches of ice. Use caution while on the ice. Yellow Bass – Slow: A few yellows have been picked up on the southeast shoreline in 10-12 feet of water. Try small tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms or maggots.

Silver Lake (Dickinson)

Ice conditions: 12-15 inches of ice but thickness varied. Use extreme caution during ice activities. The aeration system is in use. Walleye – Slow: A few walleyes have been caught in the northwest bay. Evenings are the best bite. Try glow spoons tipped with minnow heads.

West Okoboji Lake

Ice conditions: 12-16 inches of ice but ice varied. Use caution while on the ice. Bluegill – Good: The southwestern shoreline in Millers bay has been producing some nice bluegills in 8-10 feet of water. The north end of Haywards bay has also been producing some nice bluegills along with some nice crappies. Gold tear drops or small tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms work well. Yellow Perch – Fair: Anglers are finding some nice perch on Haywards bay in 16-18 feet or water. Mornings are the best bite.

Ingham Lake

Ice conditions: 12-13 inches of ice but conditions varied. The aeration system is in use. Use caution while on the ice. No reports from the last week.

Five Island Lake

Ice conditions: 12-13 inches of ice but conditions varied. Use caution while on the ice. The aeration system is in use. Yellow Bass – Good: Anglers are catching good numbers of yellow bass. Keep moving until you find active fish. Use tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms.

Lost Island Lake

Ice condition: 12-13 inches of ice. Ice conditions can vary. Use caution while on the ice. Yellow Bass – Good: Multiple reports of a hot yellow bite. Keep moving until you find the schools of fish. Small tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms work well. Early morning and evenings are the best bites.

Upper Gar Lake

Ice conditions: 10-13 inches of ice. Use caution while on the ice. No reports from the last week.

Silver Lake (Palo Alto)

Ice Conditions: 12-13 inches of ice. Ice conditions varied. Use caution while on the ice. No reports from the past week.

Area lakes have some slush pockets near shore. Walleye season is closed on Big Spirit, West and East lakes.

Sioux Center, Iowa — Blake Simons, a graduate of Hartley Melvin Sanborn High School, has announced his intention to attend Dordt College and join the Defender basketball program.

Simons, a 6-5, 225 pound forward, averaged 20.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.1 blocks, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game for Hartley Melvin Sanborn in 2014-15 and totaled 1,510 career points with 906 rebounds, 244 blocks and 157 steals. He earned all-state honors as a junior and senior and was a three-time all-conference honoree and was picked as a participant for the IBCA All-Star Tournament series.

A multi-sport athlete in high school, he earned all-district and all-state honors as a senior and was a Shrine Bowl participant.

“We are looking forward to Blake joining our program next year. Blake is someone we recruited when he was in high school and are very familiar with his gifts and talents. With his size and athleticism, he has the ability to impact our program immediately. Blake wants to pursue a degree in engineering and that makes his coming to Dordt College a natural fit. We look forward to Blake being a part of our campus community for the next four years,” said Dordt College coach Ross Douma.

Simons is currently enrolled at Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall, Minnesota. He will enroll at Dordt College with four years of eligibility remaining.

Blake is the son of Heather Simons and Brent Seivert of Sanborn, Iowa. He plans to study biomedical engineering at Dordt College.