Tourney-tested Grundy Center dashes Dogs’ tourney dream

   OELWEIN — Two-time defending state runner-up Grundy Center had an answer for everything No. 4 ranked MFL MarMac threw at it Friday, dashing the Bulldogs’ state tournament dreams with a 56-43 victory in a Class 2A, Region 4 semifinal at Oelwein High School.

   The Spartans (16-7) play Denver in the regional final Wednesday in Denver, with the winner advancing to the state tournament. MFL MarMac sees its season end with a 20-3 record.

   The Spartans’ tight defensive zone and ability to handle the Bulldogs’ pressure defense forced the ‘Dogs into jump shots instead of easier shots that they have made throughout their 20-game winning streak.

   “I’m just really proud of the girls the way they stepped up defensively and then offensively finding a way,” Grundy Center coach Matt Lindeman said. “MFL we have a ton of respect for - they’ve just played all season long very impressively - and so we knew we had to be really, really tough in handling the ball because we knew they would provide really tough ball pressure.

   “Limiting their transition was a huge goal for us,” he said. “We wanted to force them into halfcourt offense and we did get that established good.”

   MFL MarMac coach Jason Winter said he felt some of his girls played “scared” or “timid” instead of attacking the basket like the team has done all year.

   “They didn’t really do anything that we weren’t ready for or were surprised by,” he said. “We knew they were going to run the high screen pick-and-roll, which they did a lot. You’ve got to give them credit - they stepped up and hit shots, it kind of reminded me of our Waukon game at Rivalry Saturday.

For more of this story see the Feb. 26 Outlook.