WAVERLY — Morgan Hilderbrand rose up and met the moment with one of her own.

The Marshalltown sophomore chipped in for birdie in front of the gallery around the 18th hole to close out the Class 4A Girls’ State Golf Tournament on Friday at Waverly Municipal Golf Course in a tie for 17th place.

Hilderbrand bagged back-to-back rounds of 10-over-par 80 to shoot a 160 total that left her eight strokes shy of an all-state (top 10) finish.

MHS head coach Lucas Johnson can’t wait to see what’s next.

“Much like Day 1, Morgan put herself in good position to score and did a nice job managing the course,” Johnson said. “She should feel great about a top-20 finish as a sophomore.

“Her final shot of the day was a hole-out chip-in with the large crowds gathered around the 18th watching on. You can’t ask for much better of an ending than that.”

Hilderbrand was slotted in a group with some of the best in 4A, as the day’s final standings proved. Ainsley Wilson of Iowa City West finished third (141), Saleah Vivanh-Vong of Des Moines East/North was fourth (145), and Liliana Graham of Bettendorf placed ninth (151).

Hilderbrand had two birdies during the final round, including on the par-4 third and that chip-in on the 18th. She avoided double bogey all day, but couldn’t get the pars to bring her score back down.

“She showed she belongs competing alongside some of the top golfers in the state and this tournament should give her a lot of belief in herself going into next year,” Johnson said.”

Marshalltown’s lone senior Harper Wilson closed out her second state tournament appearance in a tie for 43rd place. She again birdied the par-4 11th just two holes into her day, but the big numbers were out there waiting.

Wilson shot 89-88–177 in her last outing as a Bobcat.

“It was an up-and-down day for Harper and she had a great bounce-back mindset coming into the round,” said Johnson. “She had a good rhythm for the first nine on the back side, but again had to battle in a lot of spots on the front.

“In the end, I can’t say enough about what a great team leader Harper has been and we’re going to miss her a ton next season. She made great strides forward as a player, put in the work over the winter, and I’m so glad she got to end her career at the state tournament.”

Camille Wood led Pleasant Valley to the 4A team title with her incredible comeback for medalist honors. Wood shot a 5-under 65 on the second day to force a playoff, where she beat Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Kylie Wachtl after they tied after 36 holes at 3-under 137.

Pleasant Valley was the team champion by far, shooting a collective 27-over total of 587. Waukee Northwest was second at 627, followed by a tie for third between Cedar Rapids Washington and Southeast Polk (661).