Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Tory Bennett of Fort Dodge scores against Ames during the regular season.

Fort Dodge tips off Class 5A postseason action on Wednesday at home against Sioux City North.

The contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the FDSH gym. The winner heads to No. 15 Sioux City East for a Region 4 semifinal on Saturday night.

The Dodgers are 7-9 overall and winners of four straight games. Head coach Scott Messerly’s squad has defeated Des Moines Lincoln, Des Moines Hoover, Des Moines East and Marshalltown consecutively by a combined 184 points.

Juniors Tory Bennett (10.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists) and Aleaha Pommer (11.5 points, 3.9 rebounds) are FDSH’s statistical leaders. Bennett moved into the Top-20 on the program’s all-time scoring charts last week by clearing the 500-point hurdle in her third season of varsity play. Pommer finished with a career-high 26 points in a lopsided triumph at Marshalltown last Friday night.

Senior Tristin Doster and junior Jalen Adams are both averaging 6.1 points for the Dodgers.

The Stars are currently 1-20. They have dropped 14 in a row since a 62-36 victory over Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson on Dec. 21.

Junior Madison Craighead (9.9 points, 8.1 rebounds) leads North.

Fort Dodge is attempting to win eight games in a season for the first time in four years. The Dodgers have logged four straight victories for the first time since 2006-07.

No FDSH squad has taken five in a row since 2001-02.

Sioux City East lost to Le Mars (52-49) and Sioux Falls O’Gorman (65-33) before closing the regular season with a 43-38 win over Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Junior Kayla Benson (11.8 points) is the top offensive threat for the Black Raiders.

Fourth-ranked Southeast Polk is the top seed in the region. The championship round will be on Tuesday at a site to be determined.