5-Peat! DCG Girls Basketball Returns to State Tournament

-AJ Ellingson, DCG Communications

If you weren’t watching DCG Girls Basketball in the 2025 Regional Final, then you missed one thriller of a game that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer. The Class 4A Region 6 Championship featured Dallas Center-Grimes and Carlisle, both teams trying to punch their ticket to the state tournament. The Wildcats, led by Iowa State commit Macy Comito, got off to a fast start and quickly built a 7-0 lead. Not scoring until 2 minutes left in the first quarter, Ava Smid got the Mustangs on the board and the quarter ended Carlisle leading 7-5. The Wildcats had a great second quarter outscoring the Mustangs 12-8 to go into halftime up 19-13. 

Opening up the second half was Ava Smid, who ended the night with 12 points, adding two for the Mustangs on their first possession. Senior Devon Carlile connected on a 3-pointer with 1 minute and 30 seconds left in the third quarter and the Mustangs took the lead 25-23.

The biggest momentum starter for the Mustangs came in the fourth quarter when Tessa Jones hit a big 3-point shot, one of only four the Mustangs could get to fall all game. They now led by 4. 

Going into the last minute of the game the Mustangs led 30-28. On a baseball pass from Devon Carlile down the court to Ava Smid, she was fouled on the lay up taking her to the free-throw line. Although missing the first, she made the second which for the Mustangs, might have been the most important point of the game and here is why. After an enormous defensive stop by the Mustangs, the clock ran down until Comito committed a foul at 0.2 seconds left in the game. Not seeing there was time still left, the Mustangs bench rushed the court in celebration thinking the game was over. This ended in a Mustangs bench technical foul and put the Wildcats at the free throw line for two shots and possession of the ball. Comito made both free throws to cut the Mustangs lead to only one, 31-30. 

According to the “Trent Tucker Rule,” there must be at least 0.3 seconds on the clock in order for a catch-and-shoot shot to be taken. Therefore for the Wildcats, to even be considered for a made basket, they had to tip the ball in. The Mustangs were too determined and the Wildcats could not get the shot off in time and finally, the Mustangs had won the game after a stellar defensive effort for the entirety of the contest.