Iowa high school girls basketball state tournament: Estherville Lincoln Central's Haylee Stokes pours in 44 points in win

Mount Vernon and Des Moines Christian were also winners

DES MOINES, IOWA – It was the Haylee Stokes show in the Class 3A opener Monday night. 

The junior poured in 44 points to lead top-seeded Estherville Lincoln Central to a 61-47 win over Forest City.

Stokes’ performance fell just five points shy of the all-time single-game state record of 49, which was set last year by Algona Garrigan’s Audi Crooks vs. Newell-Fonda. A dominant player inside, Crooks actually just broke the freshman scoring record at Iowa State University.

Haylee Stokes (Photo by Chris Short)

Stokes, who has a verbal commitment to Division II Minnesota State, got her points in a variety of different ways – hitting 3-pointers, jump shots, driving layups and free throws. She made 15 of 24 field goal attempts, knocked down 4 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc and sank 11 of 13 free throws.

The 5-foot-6 point guard also grabbed five rebounds, had seven steals, handed out three assists and even blocked a shot.

“Everybody in the state at the 3A level got to see what a tremendous talent she is when she gets it going,” said ELC coach Don Martindale. “She's got the complete game -- whether it's the three-ball whether it's going to the rim, whether it's at the free-throw line or mid-range. When she just gets going, she's a phenomenal player.”

“Our team came down here really ready to compete,” Stokes said. “We had a whole week to prepare, and we definitely played a great game.

“I had it going so, and we know that if one person has it going they might get a couple more buckets. I just want to help our team in any way I can to get a W.”

The top-seeded Midgets were in control from the start. They scored eight straight in the midst of a 14-3 flurry to go up 21-9 before leading 21-15 at the quarter break as Forest City answered with six straight points.

Stokes then caught fire, scoring nine points during an 11-2 run as ELC went up 32-17 at the 3:17 mark of the second quarter. She finished the first half with 23 points as the Midgets took a 34-21 lead into the locker room.

She then put up 13 more points in the third quarter despite being face guarded and the Midgets took a commanding 49-31 lead into the fourth quarter.

Stokes wasn’t too bothered by the face guarding and variety of defenses Forest City threw at her team.

“I've seen that a little bit so it wasn’t really that frustrating because I have confidence in my (teammates) that they're gonna make shots too,” she said. “So just finding what I can when I'm open because they will get it to me if I cut, but they have confidence and they'll knock down shots too.”

Martindale knew coming in that he was bound to see about anything and everything from coach Matt Erpelding, who’s in his 21st season – sixth at Forest City.

“We expected to see some things, and we prepare for that all year long,” said Martindale, who’s been coaching 24 seasons, including seven at ELC. “We missed some shots out of some sets that we run against it, which you know is just the game of basketball.

“(Erpelding) threw a 1-3-1 zone at us, he threw a 1-2-2 zone at us, he threw man-to-man at use, he threw through the 1/3 and a chaser and the face guard. That's how he coaches -- that's a DNA of his teams so you gotta be prepared for everything.”

Estherville forced 23 turnovers. They scored 30 points off turnovers in the game and held a 21-2 points-off-turnovers advantage at halftime.

Two other Midgets scored as Hillary Ruschy had nine points and Rylee Yager added eight. Both players also pulled down five rebounds.

The Indians, who end the season at 21-4, had two players score in double figures. Colette Loges had 12 points and Emma Anderson 11. Hayden Brown led the team in rebounding with eight to go with her seven points and three assists.

It was Forest City’s first-ever appearance at the girls state tournament.

The Midgets (21-4), who are ranked 19th in SB Live’s all-class top 25, move on to play Mount Vernon at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals.

“I think this was a really good confidence booster, and we can prepare for two days and hopefully another W,” Stokes said.

Mustangs stampede Harlan

Mount Vernon bombed in six 3-pointers during a 26-3 run in a surprising 67-25 blowout victory over Harlan in the 4 vs. 5 seed matchup.

The Mustangs set a Class 3A record (five-class tournament format), making 14 3-pointers on just 24 attempts (58.3 percent). Pocahontas held the previous record, connecting on 12 treys in both 2015 and 2017.

Overall, Mount Vernon shot 55.6 percent from the field, making 25 on 45 attempts

Sydney Huber, the daughter of former Iowa State standout Stacy Frese, who was an outstanding 3-point shooter, bombed in four trifectas to lead the Mustangs with 14 points. Peyton Simpson added 13 points and went 3-for-6 from deep, Taylor Franck scored 12 and knocked down two 3-pointers, while volleyball star Chloe Meester dominated inside with 11 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and two steals.

It was a competitive first quarter with Mount Vernon leading 17-10 at the break, but the Mustangs scored the first 11 points and went on to outscore the Cyclones 23-5 in the second stanza. They kept rolling in the third quarter, outscoring Harlan 18-6.

Harlan (20-4), making its 15th trip to state, was led by Aubrey Schwieso with seven points. They shot just 20.5 percent for the game on 9-of-44 shooting.

Mount Vernon (22-3), seed fourth and ranked 17th in the SB Live all-class top 25, moves on to play top-seed Estherville-Lincoln Central 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Lions outlast Bobcats

Second-seed Des Moines Christian got a scare from defending state runner-up Benton but was able to hold on for a 49-46 victory in the final game Monday night.

The game was tight through the first three quarters with DMC holding the game’s biggest lead at the 3:49 mark on an Abby Hall free throw.

The Lions opened up the biggest lead of the game at 44-35 when Hall drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with 5:19 left.

The seventh-seeded Bobcats clawed their way back into it, closing within 48-46 when Zoey Junge sank three free throws after getting fouled on the 3-point attempt with just 1:20 showing on the clock.

But those were the last points Benton scored, and DMC (24-1) survived and advances to the semifinals where it’ll face the winner of Tuesday's first game between 3-seed Solon (21-3) and 6-seed Dubuque Wahlert (19-5).

Addy Oetker and Hall, who nailed three 3-pointers, shared team-high scoring honors with 17 points apiece for the Lions. Gianna Bennett had a monster game on the boards with 14 rebounds.

Benton, which finished the season with an 18-7 record, got 17 points from McKenna Kramer, who canned four 3-pointers on her way to 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists from Emma Townsley. Piper Nelson led the Bobcats with eight rebounds.

DMC shot 43.9 percent (18 of 41) from the field and Benton was 28.6 percent (14 of 49). 

--Chris Short | @SBLiveIA