Perfect Rams punch ticket to state
The Glenwood girls basketball team will put its undefeated record on the line at the state tournament in Des Moines next Tuesday.
The Class 4A, No. 2 ranked Rams used a quick start and a 15-1 second quarter run to blow by LeMars 86-65 in Tuesday's regional semifinals before a reporter-estimated crowd of 1,500 in Glenwood.
The Rams (24-0) will play in Tuesday’s state quarterfinals at the Wells Fargo Arena. Glenwood, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, will meet No. 7 seed Gilbert at 3:15 p.m. This is Glenwood’s third trip to the state tournament overall and first since 2012.
“I thought this was a realistic goal for us coming off last and coming up just a little bit short,” said Glenwood coach Brian Rasmussen, whose team came up a victory short of state a year ago in a heartbreaking 67-57 regional finals loss to Denison.
“I feel like that game (last year) gave us a kind of a ‘We were here last year we know what it takes.’ Last year made us hungry. We’ve been working for this and going to Des Moines for the last 365 days.”
From the opening tip against LeMars (11-12) Tuesday night, the Rams looked it.
Glenwood opened the game on a 10-2 run, forced nine first quarter turnovers and then blew the game wide open with a 15-1 run to open the second frame. They led by as many as 24 in the first half in notching their 24th straight win this season.
The Bulldogs never got closer than 16 points the rest of the way as five Rams, led by Jenna Hopp’s 20 points, scored in double figures.
“We had a lot of contributors tonight,” Rasmussen said. “Madison Camden didn’t have her hottest night on the floor and to have your leading scorer not have her typical night and have other kids step up and make big plays, that was big for us as it’s been all year.”
Rasmussen didn’t know his state opponent immediately following the game but he didn’t shy away from what his team hopes to accomplish in Des Moines.
“We want to make some noise,” he said. “Everything we’ve worked for the last year, being in this regional final last year and coming out on the other end, we’ve been working hard for this moment and we have aspirations for our time in Des Moines.”