Opening tip

Wapello and Louisa-Muscatine High Schools are less than 15 miles apart.

The girls basketball fans at those two schools experienced a night for the record books at approximately the same moment Saturday in the SEISC Shootout.

At Wapello, sophomore Erika Massner recorded a triple-double with 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals in the Arrows' 62-58 win over Holy Trinity.

Up the road in Letts, senior Jordyn Schaper made 11 of 14 field goals and 11 of 15 free throws to finish with a career-high 33 points and 13 rebounds in L-M's 67-54 triumph over Central Lee.

Massner's point total tied Lindsay Stone's school mark in the five-player era. She set a Wapello record for most made free throws in a game with 14.

"We didn't know how many points she had during the game," Wapello coach John Vandenberg said. "We got talking after the game and looked and said, ‘Wow, that's pretty good.'"

Schaper broke Jackie Bodman's mark of 29 points.

"She scored with a variety of moves from the high-post and low block, she hit jumpers from the elbows and she drove to the goal from the baseline," L-M coach Nate Sanderson said.

"In the half-court, Schaper was on fire all night long."

Massner, who had 22 of her points in the second half, has been on a tear of late.

In an overtime win over Winfield-Mount Union last week, Massner had 28 points, five rebounds and eight steals. She scored 12 of Wapello's 21 points on Friday at WACO.

"Her defense has really picked up the last couple of weeks," Vandenberg said. "She's getting a lot of points in transition and getting to the foul line.

"She has the ball in her hands about 90 percent of the time for us."

It has been a trying season for the Arrows at 3-19, but with Massner and several other underclassmen in the lineup, Vandenberg is confident things can begin to turn around.

"(Erika) can definitely be one of the best players to come through here in a long time," he said. "She's shown a lot of interest to play in games this summer we haven't done the last couple of years, and we've some good, younger kids, too."

Vandenberg said the progress Massner has made in 22 games is tremendous.

"At the beginning, we put the ball in her hands and said, ‘Go lead the team,'" he said. "She's really taken to that role. Her knowledge of the game has improved as has her skills."

According to Sanderson, Schaper is 12 points and three rebounds shy of setting new single-season school records. She could get that Saturday in the tournament opener at home against Columbus.

3-point shots

- Muscatine seniors Haylie Franklin and Julie Wunder have seen two of the state's elite interior players this season in Linn-Mar junior Kiah Stokes and Iowa City High junior Virginia Johnson.

Stokes, 6-foot-3 and still undecided on a college, had 28 points and 13 rebounds against the Muskies in late November. The 6-1 Johnson, who recently committed to Iowa, compiled 24 points and 16 rebounds last Saturday versus Muscatine.

So, who is the better player?

“I would say Stokes is a little bit better because she's a couple inches taller,” Franklin said.

Wunder hesitated and then replied, “Probably Stokes. Johnson has a lot more range. That would be a tough choice. I’d take both if I could. They’re both pretty good.”

- The girls begin tournament play Saturday. And based on records, it could be a short postseason run for most of the area schools. Durant travels to fifth-ranked Camanche, and three-win Wapello is at 16-5 Mediapolis. West Liberty, near the bottom of the Cedar Valley Conference standings, heads to Tipton, and Solon — ranked earlier this year — is at Wilton.

L-M appears to be well-equipped for the longest run. The Falcons open with Columbus at home on Saturday, and then would most likely would face Mediapolis on Tuesday. Despite two close encounters, L-M has a pair of victories over Mediapolis this season.

- Durant's Chris Timmerman has been a fly swatter this season. In addition to his double-digit scoring and rebounding, the junior is fourth in the state in blocked shots with 92. He has 16 rejections in the last three games, including 10 against West Liberty last week.

Stat of the week

This is courtesy of former Muscatine Journal sports editor Harold Blake. Prior to last Friday night's games, the Mississippi Athletic Conference boys' basketball standings declined from 10 to 1 on the win side and increased from 1 to 10 on the loss side.

3 games to watch this week

Friday - Burlington at Muscatine girls and boys: In addition to rival Burlington in town, it is the 20th annual cake auction. It marks the regular-season finale for the Muskie girls, while the boys squeaked past Burlington last month on the road.

Saturday - Columbus at Louisa-Muscatine girls: This is the Class 2A tournament opener for both teams. L-M, which won both meetings during the regular season, can set a new school record for victories (17) with a win.

Saturday - Solon at Wilton girls: Solon enters the Class 2A postseason with a 14-6 mark and Wilton is 13-7. The Spartans, who have dropped two of their last three games, were bounced in the first round last year by Tipton.