LIVINGSTON — Senior Logan Leverton was literally head and shoulders above the competition in last Tuesday’s WIAA Divison 4 regional quarterfinal.
     The 6-foot-9 senior center had his way in the paint against the much shorter Cambridge Blue Jays, who had just two players taller than 6 feet.
     Leverton made 16 baskets, mostly layups, and finished the game with a career-high 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Iowa–Grant to a 68–62 victory in the opening round of the D3 playoffs.
     Leverton scored 29 points over the final quarters, including 12 in the second quarter to lead the Panthers’ comeback.
     Behind 6-foot-3 senior Erik Engelstad, the only Cambridge player with any real size, the Blue Jays jumped out to an 18–11 first quarter lead.
     Engelstad scored 10 of his team-high 25 points in the opening quarter, and eight more in the second quarter.
     But Leverton found a grove in the second period, and brothers T.J. and Isaac Anderson each connected from downtown in the quarter and the Panthers pulled within one at halftime, 32–31.
     Issac Anderson scored six points in the third as I–G grabbed a 37–34 lead.
     Leverton scored nine points in the fourth quarter and the Panthers preserved the victory by making 9 of 12 from the free throw line in the final period.
     T.J. Anderson made 5 of 6 in the quarter and finished with 10 points as well as six assists.
Isaac Anderson scored 13 points, and senior Zach Price added 10 points and seven rebounds to give the Panthers four players in double figures. Tony Deutsch passed out a career-high nine assists.
Friday Iowa–Grant’s season came to an end with a 59–45 loss at second-seeded Southwestern.
I–G lead 26–25 at the half and appeared on the verge of pulling the upset, but the host Wildcats strung together a 14–2 third-quarter run to take control of the game.
Isaac Anderson scored a team-high 15 points to pace the Panthers.
Leverton closed out his career with 14 points and five rebounds in his final game.
Coach Toby Tripalin’s squad finished the season with an overall record of 9–15.
Senior Josh Smith scored a game-high 18 points to pace the Wildcats (20–3), who won the regional title a night later with a 60–44 win over Mineral Point (18–6).
Southwestern will now face undefeated top-seed Cuba City (23–0) Thursday at Monroe.
The Cubans survived a regional semifinal overtime scare Friday against Lancaster, 67–59, then pulled away from Deerfield in the fourth quarter for a 66–48 regional final victory.

WIAA Division 4 Regional Quarterfinal
Iowa–Grant 68, Cambridge 62
(from Tuesday, Feb. 19 @ Livingston)
Cambridge    18    14    12    18     —  62
Iowa–Grant    11    20    16    21     —  68
Cambridge (5–18) — Horton 8, Jarisberg 8, Garlewski 2, Peppey 4, Parish 15, Engelstad 25. Totals — 25 7-8 62.
Iowa-Grant (9–14) — Logan Leverton 33, Isaac Anderson 13, Zach Price 10, T.J. Anderson 10, Colin Conner 2. Totals — 26 13-17 62.
3-point goals — C: 5 (Horton 2, Parish 2, Engelstad 1); IG: 3 (I. Anderson 2, T.J. Anderson 1). Team fouls — C: 17; IG: 11. Fouled out — C: Horton; IG: Conner.

WIAA Division 4 Regional Semifinal
Southwestern 59, Iowa–Grant 45
(from Friday, Feb. 22 @ Hazel Green)
Iowa–Grant    11    15    2    17     —  45
Southwestern    13    12    14    20     —  59
Iowa-Grant (9–15) — Logan Leverton 14, Isaac Anderson 15, Tony Duetsch 3, Zach Price 2, T.J. Anderson 7, Colin Conner 4. Totals — 18 3-6 45.
Southwestern (20–3) — Heilman 3, Fellenzer 4, Fleege 7, Smith 18, Kaiser 14, Tranel 12. Totals — 23 11-18 59.
3-point goals — IG: 6 (I. Anderson 5, T.J. Anderson 1); S: 2 (Smith 1, Kaiser 1). Team fouls — IG: 15; S: 13. Fouled out — none.