Sports

Never done before, and never to be forgotten.
That’s the climactic tale of the Kee girls basketball team’s historic venture through Class 1A regional tournament play this past week that was topped off by the first-ever State Tournament qualification in the history of the Lady Hawk hardcourt program. Following relatively easy victories of 52-33 over Central Elkader in the regional quarterfinals Tuesday, February 16 and 65-30 over Dunkerton in the regional semifinals Friday, February 19, the fifth-rated Kee basketball girls put the icing on their regional tournament cake Monday, February 22 with a 61-58 overtime triumph over 14th-rated Lynnville-Sully in regional championship play to punch their first-ever ticket to the season grand finale in Des Moines.

The Waukon boys basketball team took its strong inside game to Dyersville Thursday, February 18 to match up in the Class 2A District 7 semifinals with the strong guard play of a Beckman squad listed in the top 10 of the Class 2A power rankings. The host Trailblazers are the most effective squad in Class 2A at shooting the three-point shot, 40.8%, and ended up proving that effectiveness, but not until the second half when Beckman pulled away to an 88-61 final scoreboard margin that brought the Indians’ 2015-2016 campaign to a close.
The loss completes the Indians’ season at a 12-10 overall record that includes a Northeast Iowa Conference mark of 7-5 that placed the Tribe third in the final Northeast Iowa Conference standings. Beckman advanced on to a Tuesday, February 23 district semifinals match-up with MFL/MarMac played at Manchester.
 

The Kee boys basketball team had its season brought to a close by one of the top teams in this season’s Class 1A field, as the Hawks traveled to top-10 rated Jesup Thursday evening, February 18 and were dealt an 81-37 defeat. The host J-Hawks converted an average of more than half their shots in the contest, while Kee was only half that effective in being limited to just seven points in two of the game’s quarters.
The loss ends the Hawks’ season with a 7-16 overall record that included a 5-10 mark in Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) play that placed the Hawks eighth in the final UIC standings. Jesup advanced on to a Tuesday, February 23 district semifinals match-up against Edgewood-Colesburg at home.
 

The Kee girls basketball team wrapped up its regular season in fine fashion, improving to a six-game winning streak on the way to a second-place finish in the Upper Iowa Conference with a 50-40 home victory over North Fayette Valley Monday, February 8. The game had been rescheduled by winter weather from its original February 2 date. The Hawks followed the end of that regular season with a 52-33 home triumph over Central Elkader in the opening round of Class 1A regional tournament play Tuesday, February 16 to begin the Hawks' travels down this year's postseason tournament road.

Both end high school careers with victories in final matches

The Kee boys basketball team wrapped up its regular season this week with a split of two final games before opening the postseason with a victory for the second straight year to keep its 2015-2016 campaign alive. The Hawks ended their regular season with a 60-54 loss at North Fayette Valley Monday, February 8 in a game rescheduled from February 2 before edging out Coulee Christian, 53-50, at Westby, WI Friday, February 12. The Kee basketballers then got their Class 1A District Tournament schedule underway with a 59-52 win at Starmont Monday, February 15 to earn postseason advancement.

The 2015-2016 Waukon girls basketball season came to a close in less than desirable fashion this past week, as the basketball Lady Indians suffered back-to-back losses to end both their regular season and overall season. The Waukon girls ended their regular season with a 44-32 loss at home to Decorah Tuesday, February 9 and then suffered that same unfortunate fate four days later when the Oelwein Huskies ended the Tribe’s season with a 49-37 loss at home in the opening round of Class 3A regional tournament play Saturday, February 13.

The Waukon boys basketball team rode a four-game win streak during a busy past week, winning three final regular season games before opening up Class 2A District Tournament play with a fourth consecutive victory. The Indians’ regular season streak included wins of 84-71 at home against South Winneshiek Monday, February 8, 63-59 at Decorah Tuesday, February 9 and 59-54 at New Hampton Friday, February 12.

The 2015-2016 wrestling season officially came to a close for the Waukon wrestling team at the Class 2A District Tournament hosted by Independence High School Saturday, February 13, as the wrestling Tribe’s two remaining wrestlers came up just shy of the top-two finish required for advancement to this year’s State Tournament. The senior pair of 113-pounder Miles Howe and 182-pounder Joe Frieden each split two matches at the District event to have their seasons and high school careers ended with third-place tournament finishes.
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With their runner-up finishes at the Saturday, February 6 Sectional Tournament at Decorah, Waukon wrestling seniors Miles Howe, at 113 pounds, and Joe Frieden, at 182 pounds, have earned advancement to the Class 2A District 5 Tournament being hosted by Independence High School this Saturday, February 13, beginning at 12 noon. As runner-up finishers the senior pair will first match-up with the champions in their respective weight classes from the Class 2A Sectional Tournament hosted by West Delaware High School in Manchester.
The first-round matches for the two Indians’ weight classes at this Saturday’s District Tournament are as follows:
113 pounds - Senior Miles Howe (Waukon, 39-10) vs. fourth-rated freshman Riley Wright (Denver/Tripoli, 41-3); Fifth-rated sophomore Noah Fye (New Hampton, 39-3) vs. sophomore Jarrett Orr (Independence, 29-11).