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Iowa Boys State Basketball: Action Tips Off From Des Moines

3A, 4A quarterfinals up first on the hardwood.
Dana Becker|
Jude Gibson of Ballard drives to the basket as Charlie Reich of Gilbert defends during a quarterfinal game of the boys state basketball tournament at the Casey's Center in Des Moines, March 9, 2026.
Jude Gibson of Ballard drives to the basket as Charlie Reich of Gilbert defends during a quarterfinal game of the boys state basketball tournament at the Casey's Center in Des Moines, March 9, 2026. | Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament got underway Monday from the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa with Class 3A and Class 4A quarterfinal action.

All four 3A quarterfinals hit the hardwood while two of the four 4A games were played before the day was over. On Tuesday, 4A will get back to work along with the Class 1A quarterfinals.

Games can be live streamed on the IAHSAA.org website for free, as High School on SI will have complete coverage throughout the week.

No. 1 Ballard Dominates Gilbert Behind Jude Gibson

The opening game turned into a one-sided affair, as top-seed Ballard rolled Gilbert, 70-40.

Jude Gibson scored 20 points with eight assists and six rebounds to lead the Bombers into the semifinals on Wednesday. Evan Abbott had 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, as Easton Erland added 15 points, two assists, two blocks and two steals.

Ballard doubled up the Tigers in the first quarter behind 50 percent shooting from the field, and put the game away in the second by going on a 17-4 run. The Bombers shot 49 percent for the game and were 17 of 20 at the free throw line.

Parker Miller chipped in seven points with nine rebounds in just 18 minutes of work for Ballard.

Gilbert’s Preston Stensland had 17 points, but was the lone Tiger in double figures. William Terrones, Charlie Reich and Easton VanCleave each had four, as Lual Kenyang recorded seven rebounds with a blocked shot.

Carroll Holds Off Late Pella Rally

Trey Tassell made a pair of free throws with eight seconds left that would ultimately be the winning points in a 50-49 victory for Carroll over Pella in a Class 3A quarterfinal.

With the win, the Tigers advance to the semifinals and a date with Ballard, who knocked off Gilbert in the first game of the day from the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Jared Mohr led Carroll with 17 points, adding seven rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal. Lual Tharjiath had 12 points with five rebounds, as Tassell finished with nine. The Tigers made five more free throws than the Dutch, who controlled several other key categories.

Jack McGuire posted a game-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks for Pella, as Austin Schulte added nine points and nine rebounds. Outside of those two, the Dutch made just seven field goals and shot 3 of 18 from the 3-point line.

Hudson Lorensen Leads ADM Into 3A Semifinals

Behind a massive performance from Hudson Lorensen, ADM punched a ticket into the Class 3A semifinals with a 68-59 victory over Cedar Rapids Xavier Monday at Casey’s Center in Des Moines.

Lorensen scored 34 points, finishing with four made 3-pointers. Trey Bryte added 13 points with 13 rebounds and four assists, going 9-for-9 at the free throw line as part of a 21 of 22 performance by the Tigers.

Zander Murray led the Saints with 21 points, as James Madison commit AJ Evans scored 17 points with 15 rebounds and three assists. Cedar Rapids Xavier, though, went 5-for-15 at the charity stripe.

ADM jumped out to an early 15-point lead on the heels of a 22-point second quarter, with Lorensen doing much of the damage. The Upper Iowa commit scored 23 of his points in the first half, going 9 of 16 from the field with three 3-pointers.

Brady O’Donnell gave the Tigers a third scorer in double figures with 14, making four triples. Lorenzo Pino had five points, four rebounds and three assists.

Storm Lake Fights Past Solon In Overtime

Jaidyn Coon showed why he is one of the top players in the state, helping Storm Lake reach the Class 3A semifinals with a 68-60 victory in overtime vs. Solon.

Coon, a Creighton commit, scored 20 points with 12 rebounds while Cameron Boyd added 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Tornadoes will get a rematch with ADM in the final four after being eliminated by them last year in the quarters.

Coon, who missed a handful of games earlier this year, came up big when his team needed him the most with a pair of blocks in overtime. But others also stepped up including David William, who had two big 3-pointers and finished with 11 points, two blocks and two steals.

For Solon, Grant Gordon had 16 points as both Tate McCollum and Maddox Kelley each finished with 11. Kelley had eight rebounds and five assists with two steals.

McCollum, the son of current Iowa men’s head basketball coach Ben McCollum, played 31 minutes while battling cramps throughout the game.

It’s A Block Party For Dowling Catholic In 4A Quarters

Charlie Crane blocked six shots and altered many more as Dowling Catholic finished with nine blocks as a team in a 63-45 victory over Dubuque Senior in the Class 4A quarterfinals Monday night from Des Moines and Casey’s Center.

Crane also scored 16 points, as Noah Martens led the Maroons with 18 points. Martens also had six rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals while Alfred Kolee was 6-for-6 from the field for 13 points with seven rebounds.

Kolee also got in on the block party with one. Dowling Catholic added seven steals and shot 56 percent from the field for the game.

Dubuque Senior was led by Tevin Schultz, as he scored 15 points with four boards, two steals and two blocks. Drake Medinger knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 11, as Cooper Porter added eight points, six rebounds and four assists.

Cedar Falls Dominates Behind Jaydon Kimbrough, Will Gerdes

Top-ranked and undefeated Cedar Falls had no trouble with Urbandale in Class 4A quarterfinal round action, advancing with a 73-53 decision.

Stars Jaydon Kimbrough and Will Gerdes each scored 28 points to lead the Tigers, who now get Dowling Catholic in the semifinals. Gerdes also recorded 15 rebounds while Kimbrough had five with three made 3-pointers.

Carsen Gary was the third Cedar Falls player in double figures, scoring 10 with six assists and four rebounds.

Urbandale’s Jake Pargeon had 30 points and four rebounds while Quentin Teeter added eight with seven boards and four assists.

The Tigers were never threatened in this one, racing out to a 17-9 lead and taking a commanding 41-17 advantage into the break. They shot 52 percent from the field, held a plus-22 advantage on the glass and outscored the J-Hawks in the paint, 36-16.

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Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

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