Iowa City, West 58, Waukee 50

Class 4A Semifinals

Iowa City, West 58, Waukee 50

DES MOINES – Iowa City, West remains the class of Class 4A. Coach Steve Bergman’s club notched its third consecutive trip to the state championship game with Thursday night’s semifinal win over Waukee, 58-50 at Wells Fargo Arena. A strong second half propelled the top-seeded Trojans (21-4) to their sixth final in the last seven years and 10 ^th all-time.

The remarkable run of success was continued by a dominant third quarter and three scorers in double figures against a balanced and physical Waukee (20-5) lineup. Hakeem Odunsi led the way with a game-high 18 points, including a 4-for-4 shooting night from 3-point range. Forwards Seybian Sims and Patrick McCaffery added 14 points each, chipping in as West carried an uncharacteristic 26-23 deficit into halftime and proceeded to shoot 57 percent and take over after the break.

Waukee was appearing in its first semifinal and matched up well with the Trojans until a quick 7-0 run in the third quarter changed the lead and pace of the offenses. Waukee shot 44 percent on the night and had four scorers – Dylan Jones, Noah Hart, Nathan Johnson, and Nathan Nelson – hit double-digits, but couldn’t keep up, even with a sizeable advantage on the glass.

West is 7-2 in title games all-time, including last year’s win over Valley, West Des Moines, who was playing in Thursday night’s other 4A semifinal against Cedar Falls. The Trojans will meet the winner of that matchup in Friday’s 8:15 p.m. championship.

Waukee’s consolation game is set for 12:15 p.m.

Quarterfinal Round – March 6-7

Iowa City, West 62,  Muscatine 50 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Waukee 60, Johnston 58 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Valley, W.D.M. 52,  North Scott, Eldridge 44 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Cedar Falls 75,  Sioux City, East 47 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Semifinal Round – March 8

Iowa City, West 58,  Waukee 50 – Final | BOX SCORE

8:15—Valley, West Des Moines vs. Cedar Falls