Tipton is on pace to fill a banner void in girls basketball

The gymnasium at Tipton Middle School contains its share of championship banners.

Most are from cross country and track.

As for girls basketball: “It’s pretty bare,” Coach Matt Bolger said.

Tipton made three state-tournament appearances between 2005 and 2009. The Tigers shared a conference title in 2009.

Their last outright league title? That was 26 years and two conferences ago — 2000 in the Eastern Iowa Hawkeye Conference.

“We’d like to leave our mark (this year),” Bolger said, and so far, the Tigers have delivered.

Class 3A 11th-ranked Tipton stands at 11-1 overall, 6-0 in the River Valley Conference South Division, heading into Friday’s home date with Mid-Prairie (7-4, 5-1).

The Tigers hold a one-game lead over both the Golden Hawks and four-time defending champion Iowa City Regina. The Tigers won their first meeting with Regina, 58-49, at home Dec. 19.

“I knew we had a lot of potential,” Bolger said. “We had a lot of returners, we had a really good summer, and we had a freshman that could help us.”

This is Bolger’s sixth season at Tipton. The first three years produced 15 wins, total. Then it was back-to-back 16-7 campaigns before this year’s breakthrough.

“When we got started here, we had to get over the mindset that we weren’t supposed to be good,” he said. “We’ve got some kids and some parents that are invested in it ... I get a little teary during pregame, because of where we are now.”

The Tigers are fueled by balance, with six players averaging between 5.8 and 12.4 points per game. The top five scorers consist of four juniors — Jordyn Schmidt (12.4 ppg), Averie Bolger (10.1), Paityn Daedlow (8.1) and Ella Hein (7.1) — and freshman Zane Ehler (8.8).

Schmidt and Ehler both average 9.0 rebounds per game, while Bolger and Daedlow are the primary 3-point threats.

“I think we’re a really good team,” Coach Bolger said. “We may rarely have the best player on the floor, but more often than not, we’ll have the better team.

“We defend pretty well, and we’re starting to develop our inside game, which opens up our shooters.”

When Tipton welcomes Mid-Prairie on Tuesday, it will be a reunion of sorts for Coach Bolger. Mid-Prairie is coached by Jenny Hobbs.

“We used to have some battles (in the South Iowa Cedar League) when I was at Iowa Valley and she was at Sigourney,” Bolger said.

Big bounceback for Prairie’s ‘big three’

Four nights after Cedar Rapids Prairie’s three veterans struggled though an 8-of-38 shooting night at Iowa City Liberty, they enjoyed a remarkable bounceback.

Emily Larsen hit 13 of 21 shots in a 31-point explosion in the Hawks’ 76-54 home victory over Dubuque Hempstead on Tuesday.

KeaOnna Worley (11 of 19) added 24 points; Brynlie Hadenfeldt (6 of 11) tacked on 18.

All told, that’s 30 of 51 (58.8 percent) and 73 points from the trio, proving that numbers generally even themselves out.

The victory snapped Prairie’s five-game losing streak. The Hawks (6-6 overall, 2-3 MVC) play at Iowa City West (9-3, 5-0) on Friday.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com