BOYS BASKETBALL
Pleasant Valley 75, Clinton 39: The Pleasant Valley High School boys basketball team wrapped up the Mississippi Athletic Conference title in impressive fashion Tuesday evening.
The state’s second-ranked Class 4A club routed Clinton 75-39 to not only secure back-to-back league crowns, but keep alive an undefeated season at 18-0. The Spartans are 15-0 in MAC action.
“This Team has continued to find ways to win all season,” said PV coach Steve Hillman. “Extremely proud of our back to back MAC championships.”
The Spartans are now 22-5 against the River Kings (2-16, 1-13 MAC) and have won four straight in the series with a sweep this season.
Bettendorf 63, Muscatine 37: The Bettendorf High School boys basketball team crawled back to the .500 mark on the season with Tuesday’s 63-37 Mississippi Athletic Conference victory over Muscatine at the Dawg Pound.
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The Bulldogs (9-9, 8-7 MAC) used a solid first half to log their fifth straight victory. Bettendorf broke from an 11-6 first quarter lead to take control with a 32-11 halftime lead.
Their sixth straight setback dropped the Muskies to 1-16, 1-14 MAC.
Rock Island 59, Galesburg 56: In need of a victory to remain in the Western Big 6 Conference race, the Rock Island High School boys basketball team also needed a huge rally in order to do that.
Amarion Nimmers came to the Rocks’ rescue, scoring eight of his team’s final 10 points to lead the Rocks to a come-from-behind 59-56 Big 6 victory over the Galesburg Silver Streaks at John Thiel Gymnasium Tuesday evening.
Nimmers scored a game-high 30 points as the Rocks rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit to remain tied with Moline for second place a game behind league-leading Quincy. Rocky (18-8) is tied with Moline (24-3) at 10-2. Quincy, a winner over Geneseo, moved to 20-5, 11-1 Big 6.
Nimmers saved his best for last, scoring 15 of his 24 second-half points in the fourth quarter.
After leading 3-2, the Rocks fell behind when the Streaks (22-6, 7-5 Big 6) hit a pair of 3-pointers and Rocky trailed until tying the score at 49 in the fourth quarter when Nimmers hit two free throws and RaeQuann Miller hit a jumper. After Galesburg took a 50-49 lead, Nimmers finished off a three-point play and Terrmell Akers added a bucket for a 54-50 Rocky advantage.
Carl Dortch (14 points) then answered with own three-point play and a Carter Clary free throw tied things again at 54 with 1:43 left.
But Nimmers had enough left under his Superman cape to help the Rocks pullout the victory. He hit a 3-pointer with just over a minute left ahead of Dortch answering with a bucket with 61 seconds left.
Nimmers then hit two free throws — his seventh straight from the line — to give the Rocks a 59-56 advantage with :23.5 left in regulation.
After a Streak timeout, Galesburg’s Jeremiah Babers (team-high 15 points) launched a potential tying 3-pointer as the clock wound down, but that was off line and Miller grabbed the rebound as the horn sounded.
Moline 104, Sterling 58: The Moline high School boys basketball was impressive in winning its 16th straight game and remaining perfect this calendar year with Tuesday’s 104-58 Western Big 6 Conference rout of Sterling at Wharton Field House.
“Sterling is a really good program, a really good team, but we were able to get on a roll and got them missing shots and then rebounding,” said Moline coach Sean Taylor. “That got us in transition. It was the start of the process.”
That process added up to the Maroons improving to 24-3 and 10-2 in the Big 6. They stay a game behind conference leader Quincy (21-5, 11-1), which rolled to a 71-32 win at Geneseo Tuesday, and tied for second place with Rock Island, which rallied to top Galesburg 59-56.
Led by juniors Grant Welch (21 points, six rebounds, three steals, three assists) and Brock Harding (20 points, six assists, four rebounds, two steals), the Maroons shot a torrid 62{362bf5cdc35eddfb2532d3c23e83b41deb229c4410d15cb1127c60150cbd4488} from the field.
Quincy 71, Geneseo 32: The Geneseo High school boys basketball team was in the wrong spot at the wrong time Tuesday evening. Catching the Quincy Blue Devils after their first Western Big 6 Conference loss, the hosting Maple Leafs were blown away 71-32 by the hungry Blue Devils.
Geneseo lost control early and things quickly got out of hand as the Blue Devils bounced back from Friday’s loss to Moline, moving to 21-5, 11-1 WB6 and remaining in first place ahead of Rock Island and Moline for the conference lead.
Geneseo (8-17, 2-10 WB6) was led by Bristol Lewis’s 10 points. The Maple Leafs jumped to an early 4-0 lead, but couldn’t maintain that edge.
United Township 96, Alleman 35: United Township High School senior guard Cameren Lewis took advantage of a big opportunity Tuesday evening in the Panthers’ 96-35 Western Big 6 Conference victory over hosting Alleman at the Don Morris Gym.
Lewis, part of a new UT starting five on Tuesday, connected on 11 3-pointers and led all scorers with a career-high 33 points.
The Panthers (13-14, 4-8 WB6) hit 19 3-pointers in the contest, with six players connecting from long range.
In addition to Lewis’s huge night, senior Kyler Trueblood posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Dominic Rhoden added 10 points.
Alleman (0-23, 0-12 WB6) trailed 20-5 at the end of the first period and 49-21 at halftime as the usual UT starters saw very limited minutes.
PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pleasant Valley 63, Clinton 31: Mississippi Athletic Conference champion Pleasant Valley turned a great start into an easy 63-31 league victory over Clinton Tuesday night in the PV Gym.
In the process, junior Halle Vice set a single-season scoring mark for the Spartans. Her game-high 27 points, moved her to 428 for the season.
The Spartans (18-2, 16-1 MAC) lead 25-6 after the first quarter and 39-13 at halftime en route to the lopsided victory — their ninth in a row this season and 26th straight over the River Queens (1-20, 1-16 MAC).
In addition to her big scoring night, Vice grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists in leading the Spartans. Sophomore Jessie Clemons added 12 points.
Bettendorf 60, Muscatine 28: Kate McAleer scored 14 points and Lillie Petersen added 12, as the Bettendorf High School girls basketball team won its fifth game in a row, taking an easy 60-28 Mississippi Athletic Conference victory over the hosting Muscatine Muskies on Tuesday.
Bettendorf (14-6, 12-5 MAC) led 12-3 after the first quarter and 30-12 at halftime and closed out the game with a pair of 15-point quarters in the second half.
Jazzy Jones led Muscatine (5-15, 4-13 MAC) with six points.
Davenport Central 57, Davenport West 19: The Davenport Central High School girls basketball team pitched a second-quarter shutout to take control of Tuesday’s city battle with Davenport West.
Already leading 17-9 after the opening eight minutes of the Mississippi Athletic Conference clash, the Blue Devils posted an 18-0 frame to take a commanding 35-9 halftime lead en route to the 57-19 victory.
Aniah Smith led the Blue Devils (11-9, 9-8 MAC) with a game-high 14 points. Adriauna Mayfield was next on the scoring charts with eight points.
Davenport West (2-17, 1-16 MAC) had three players score four points each – Grace Schneiderman, Sydney Westerhof and Maddie White.