Top-ranked Pocahontas Area raced past Mount Vernon 83-43 to open the Class-3A quarterfinals of the 2016 Iowa High School Girls State Basketball Tournament Tuesday afternoon (March 1).

There's more to the Indians than Elle Ruffridge. A lot more.

Ruffridge fell short of her season scoring average, but it didn't matter because she got plenty of help in Pocahontas Area's win.

A 5-foot-3 junior who's constantly scrambling around the court, Ruffridge finished with 24 points, six assists, six rebounds and two steals. Faith Meyer sank 13 of 18 free throws in scoring 22 points for the Indians and Grace Meyer added 13 points to go with 11 rebounds.

Ruffridge averages 28.5 a game and has committed to Missouri State, where college basketball's all-time scoring leader, Jackie Stiles, is an assistant. Ruffridge has 2,052 points and a shot at breaking Deb Remmerde's state record of 2,756.

Pocahontas jumped to a 9-0 lead without any points from Ruffridge and never looked back. Playing at a frenetic pace, the Indians stormed to a 53-28 halftime lead and triggered a continuous clock as they kept pulling away in the second half.

Payton Hjerleid added nine points for Pocahontas, the state runner-up last year, and reserve Ashlyn Weidauer scored eight, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Pocahontas made eight 3-pointers in all, came up with 11 steals in forcing 22 turnovers and held Mount Vernon to five baskets in the second half.

Kaitlyn Volesky, a 5-foot-10 junior, was effective inside for Mount Vernon and scored 20 points on 9-for-14 shooting. She also grabbed 11 rebounds.

Pocahontas takes a 25-0 record into a semifinal game at 5 p.m. Thursday. Mount Vernon, the Class 2A champion in 2010, finishes 16-9.

Story Courtesy of IGHSAU


Mount Vernon vs Pocahontas Area
03/01/16 11:30 a.m. at Wells Fargo Arena-Des Moines, Iowa

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VISITORS: Mount Vernon 16-9
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
11 Corkin, Hayley...... *  1-6    0-3    0-2    2  5  7   2   2  0  1  0  0  24
21 Ryan, Libby......... *  1-6    0-3    2-2    0  5  5   3   4  2  4  1  1  26
25 Murray, Jacque...... *  0-4    0-3    2-4    1  0  1   5   2  1  2  0  1  13
33 Elliott, Kristen.... *  1-9    1-4    3-4    2  1  3   2   6  3  8  0  1  20
53 Volesky, Kaitlyn.... *  9-14   0-1    2-3    4  7 11   4  20  0  3  0  0  19
05 Hauser, Bailey......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
13 Yeoman, Catherine...    0-2    0-2    2-4    0  2  2   1   2  2  1  0  1  14
15 Dahlstrom, Lily.....    0-3    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   1   0  0  0  0  0   5
23 Clark, Riley........    0-3    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  1  1  0  0  12
31 Baker, Haley........    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   4
35 Opperman, Katheryn..    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   2
43 Hartl, McKenzie.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   2
45 Dicus, Delaney......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0   4
51 Norton, Ella........    2-3    0-0    2-2    1  1  2   1   6  0  0  0  0  11
55 Ossenkrop, Noelle...    0-0    0-0    1-2    0  1  1   0   1  0  0  0  0   2
   TEAM................                         2  2  4
   Totals..............   14-51   1-18  14-23  12 25 37  23  43  9 22  1  4 157

TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  9-26 34.6%   2nd Half:  5-25 20.0%   Game: 27.5%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-10 10.0%   2nd Half:  0-8   0.0%   Game:  5.6%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  9-13 69.2%   2nd Half:  5-10 50.0%   Game: 60.9%    5


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HOME TEAM: Pocahontas Area 25-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 Meyer, Faith........ *  4-10   1-6   13-18   0  4  4   4  22  1  1  0  2  27
04 Hjerleid, Payton.... *  4-9    0-2    1-1    3  0  3   4   9  0  1  0  1  13
05 Ruffridge, Elle..... *  9-21   3-9    3-3    1  5  6   3  24  6  3  0  2  27
10 Meyer, Grace........ *  5-8    2-4    1-1    4  7 11   2  13  6  0  0  3  28
14 Radig, Autumn....... *  1-2    0-0    0-0    1  7  8   3   2  0  0  0  0  14
12 Weidauer, Ashlyn....    2-7    2-7    2-2    1  2  3   1   8  0  3  0  2  18
15 Neumann, Danielle...    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   2  0  0  0  1   5
20 Vainreb, Bailey.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
23 Johnson, Jocelyn....    0-1    0-1    1-2    0  2  2   0   1  0  0  0  0   4
25 Ahlers, Olivia......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   5
30 Berte, Katie........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
32 Vannahme, Jill......    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   4
35 Fehr, Kylea.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
40 Brinkman, Janie.....    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   4   2  0  2  0  0   8
45 Sullivan, Kenzie....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   3
   TEAM................                         2     2
   Totals..............   27-61   8-30  21-27  12 29 41  22  83 13 10  0 11 160

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-29 51.7%   2nd Half: 12-32 37.5%   Game: 44.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  5-14 35.7%   2nd Half:  3-16 18.8%   Game: 26.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 18-22 81.8%   2nd Half:  3-5  60.0%   Game: 77.8%    3


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Officials: Steve Dick, Randall Bloom, Scott Giles
Technical fouls: Mount Vernon-None. Pocahontas Area-None.
Attendance:
Score by Periods                1st  2nd  3rd  4th   Total
Mount Vernon..................   13   15    9    6  -   43
Pocahontas Area...............   25   28   18   12  -   83
Fouled Out: Mt. Vernon #25 J. Murray (5:28-4th)

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