Falcon girls stop Gaels (PHOTOS)

PARKERSBURG – The Aplington-Parkersburg girls basketball team started strong and settled in by the second quarter of a 64-24 romp over Fort Dodge St. Edmond in a Class 2A Region 2 quarterfinal in Parkersburg on Wednesday night.

The Falcons, rated 12th in Class 2A and improving to 21-2 with the victory, will play Emmetsburg (15-7) in Fort Dodge at 7 p.m. on Friday.

A-P led 14-5 after the first quarter, but Falcons head coach Jason Berkey called a timeout early in the second quarter when it seemed like the Falcons weren't quite executing.

"He was telling us we need to quit playing scared and play our game, relax and just get focused," Megan Johnson said. "We're out here to win and we need to just do what we do best, run the court and run our offense."

The offense got fired up from there, leading 31-11 at halftime and allowing the Gaels to score no more than seven points in a single quarter on Wednesday night.

A-P fans came out in support of the final home game for a Falcons team hoping to make a long postseason run. The Falcons are one win away from their first regional final since 2013.

"It's a good feeling knowing the fans support what we do," A-P's Jenna Bruns said. "Our teammates are supporting each other and it's an overall good atmosphere."

Johnson scored 16 points to lead A-P. Bruns had 12 points, Jaycie Ellis scored 10 points and Sophia Jungling added 10 points and team-high marks for assists (5) and steals (7).

PHOTOS: FD St. Edmond at A-P girls basketball