WILDCATS ADVANCE TO STATE!!

The Humboldt boys basketball team earned the school's first trip to the state basketball tournament in 12 years by turning back the Carroll Tigers, 70-62 Monday night (Mar. 3) in a Class 3A Substate final in the Ames High gym.The Wildcats scored the first basket and never trailed in the game as they sidelined the No. 8 ranked Tigers. Jaxon Heinz scored 20 points while Brady Ross and Austin Zylstra each had 15 to lead Humboldt's scoring. Thomas Orness added 11, including a trio of crucial 3-point baskets in the second half. Jack Curran added six points and Nick Heider provided three. Addison Ross scored 20 to pace the Tigers, who bow out at 18-5 overall. Eli Cleveland added 16 and Cody Netusil had 14.Humboldt, now 16-7 on the year, earned a No. 8 seed in the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The Wildcats will face No. 1 seeded and No. 3 ranked Harlan (22-2) in a first round game at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 11. The winner of that game will face either No. 4 seed Chariton (21-3) or No. 3 seed Wahlert Dubuque (20-4) in the semifinals. Other first round state tournament games have No. 2 Waverly-Shell Rock (21-3) facing No. 7 Grinnell (17-7) and No. 3 Central Clinton DeWitt (21-3) meeting MOC-Floyd Valley (19-5).See complete story in the Humboldt Independent Newspaper. Subscribe for full print and electronic access to the Independent.