Kee girls basketball team controls Region 4 Championship game from start to finish to advance to Class 1A State Tournament ...

Members of the Kee girls basketball team celebrate with their student body fans what the scoreboard on the wall confirms, as the 15th-rated Lady Hawks (with their 16-7 record) established themselves early over fourth-rated Springville (with a 23-1 record) to win their Class 1A Region 4 Championship game, 55-43, Wednesday, February 25 at West Delaware High School in Manchester. Bolting to a 17-5 lead after one quarter of play and maintaining that same scoreboard margin, 26-14, at the halftime break, Kee’s bucket brigade widened its lead to as much as 20 points in the third frame before having it trimmed to as few as nine points late in the fourth quarter but ultimately holding on for the double-digit victory to earn just the third State Tournament qualification in the history of the Kee girls basketball program, following earlier qualifications for the season grand finale in 2016 and 2018.

The eighth-seeded Lady Hawks (17-7) will now play top-rated and top-seeded Algona Bishop Garrigan (22-2) Wednesday, March 4 in the opening round of the Class 1A State Tournament at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, beginning at 1:30 p.m. The winner will advance on to the Class 1A semifinals Friday, March 6, also at 1:30 p.m., to play the winner of the first-round match-up between fourth-seeded Lynnville-Sully (24-0) and fifth-seeded Dunkerton (22-2), with that semifinals winner then advancing on to the Class 1A State Championship game Saturday evening, March 7 at 7 p.m. That championship game opponent will emerge from first-round match-ups featuring second-seeded and defending State Runner-Up Newell-Fonda (22-2) vs. seventh-seeded St. Ansgar (20-4) and third-seeded and defending State Champion Council Bluffs St. Albert (21-3) vs. sixth-seeded Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton (22-1). Further details of Kee’s Region 4 Championship victory and continued journey down the postseason path can be found inside this edition on Pages 12-13. Pick up the Wednesday, March 4, 2026 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.