In the late weeks of February, basketball playoffs are the main attention in the state of Iowa. Both Pleasant Valley teams have made a run at the playoffs this year. The girls and the boys both cleared the first round of their playoffs, with the girls team defeating Cedar Rapids Jefferson and the boys defeating Clinton.

The Pleasant Valley Girls Basketball team had an amazing season this year. The team finished conference play by sharing a MAC conference title with Davenport North. The overall team record was 19-4, the best in the MAC. They faced a tough challenge on Tuesday, Feb. 23, however, when they had to travel to Waukee for their regional final. Waukee, who had an 18-4 record, had an impressive night, with nearly every shot going down. The final score was 65-45, with Waukee advancing. Rory Donahue, junior, is very optimistic for next season. She said, “I am excited that we return every single player from this season and that Kira Arthofer will come back from her knee injury. I think our main goal for next year is to make it to the state tournament, but we also want to win the MAC.”

The boys’ season is not yet over; the team will travel to number one ranked Iowa City West on Feb. 24. The boys team, with a 12-11 record, have won 4 of their last 5 games, with a dominating win over Clinton in their first playoff game. Alex Kitzmann, senior, said, “Our team has really started to work and play together better in the last few weeks, but West will be really tough.” Iowa City West has a record of 18-3 and is home to the best power three in the state. Their team is lead by the McCaffrey brothers, sons of Iowa Basketball Head Coach Fran McCaffrey, and Devontae Lane, senior. The McCaffrey’s and Lane are loaded offensively; QuikStats provided the details:

Despite their underdog status, Pleasant Valley knows what they have to do to pull of the upset. Peter Zucker, senior, said, “They’re pretty good on offense, but we’ve watched the film and have noticed some holes in their defense.” Michael Meyer, senior, also agreed with the points Zucker made, “If we can keep up our tough defense against them and make our buckets, we can do it.” Either way, the playoff atmosphere always adds some spice to the matchup. PV plays Iowa City West on Friday, Feb. 24 at Iowa City West High School at 7 p.m.