Knights headed to state tournament

RED OAK – As Adair-Casey clawed back in the fourth quarter of the Class 1A, Region 8 final Monday night, Fremont-Mills guard Macy Williams knew her team needed to do something to keep their state tournament dreams alive.

“They were taking away our ball movement outside the three-point line, so I saw the lane open and tried to attack as much as possible and get them in foul trouble,” Macy Williams said.
Williams did plenty of attacking in the fourth quarter.

The senior scored 17 of her game-high 27 points in the frame as the Knights held on for a 65-58 victory to earn the school’s first berth in the Iowa State Basketball Tournament.
“It’s like a dream,” Macy Williams said.

The Knights (23-1) will face Springville (21-3) in the opening round at state Monday, March 2 at Wells Fargo Arena. Tip off is set for 3:15 p.m.

The difference-maker for the Knights in the decisive final quarter against the Bombers was the free throw line as Macy Williams scored 15 of her 17 fourth-quarter points at the charity stripe.
The Knights were in control early, jumping out to a big lead in the second quarter thanks to a 13-0 run that eventually led to a 36-20 halftime lead.

“We started running it a little more, playing our style of game,” said Fremont-Mills girls basketball coach Rod Williams of his team’s early success.

The third quarter was a complete 180-degree turn for Fremont-Mills as the Bombers fired back and cut the lead down to 44-38 by the end of the third quarter.

“I wish we didn’t have halftime,” Coach Williams said. “The little break at halftime, I think, got them back in it.”

Fremont-Mills pulled out ahead in the first half thanks to the scoring of both Jenna Nelson and Andrea McClary. Nelson sank four three-pointers in the first half as she finished with 14 points. McClary meanwhile had 11 points before fouling out.