Aplington-Parkersburg secured a spot in the Class-2A semifinals of the 2015 Iowa High School Boys Basketball Tournament with an 82-69 victory over Woodward Academy in Des Moines Monday night (March 9).

The top-seeded and third-ranked Falcons (25-1) got double-digit scoring from four players, with Nick Waller's game-high 25 points leading the way. Jake Schipper tallied 19 points, Ross Cooper added 16 and Nick Ellis 15. Aplington-Parkersburg blistered the nets with 62-percent shooting, going 29-of-47 from the floor.

The Falcons needed the offensive efficiency because they couldn't separate themselves from the eighth-seeded Knights until late in the third quarter. Leading 50-46 with 2:34 remaining, Aplington-Parkersburg closed the period on a 10-1 run and built the edge to 60-47 going into the fourth. Schipper started the spurt with a three-pointer and Waller followed with back-to-back layups.

A-P missed only seven shots over the final 16 minutes of play. The Falcons shot 68-percent during the second half, going 15-of-22 from the floor. They outscored Woodward Academy 44-37 in the second half after owning a 38-32 halftime advantage.

Monday's game was the first at the state tournament for Woodward Academy (16-8), a school for at-risk boys. In fact, Woodward Academy is the first school of its kind to qualify for state.

For Aplington-Parkersburg, the victory was the first at state since the Falcons won the consolation championship in 1997. The Falcons are appearing in the tournament for the first time in 12 years.

NEXT UP: Aplington-Parkersburg will play Treynor (22-3) in the Class-2A semifinals on Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 2 PM.

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