Iowa Boys State Tournament: Setting Stage For Championship Friday

Thursday at the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament set the stage for Friday’s championships, as semifinals in three classifications went down from the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

While the Class 3A title game was set on Wednesday, Classes 4A, 1A and 2A - in that order - battled it out to determine who would play for championships.

In the first game of the day, top-ranked and No. 1 Cedar Falls earned a spot in the 4A finale with a 59-46 victory over Dowling Catholic.

Will Gerdes Takes Over As Cedar Falls Reaches 4A Finals

Will Gerdes, a Northern Iowa commit, dominated inside the paint, scoring a game-high 28 points, which included a thunderous dunk off a perfect lob pass from Jaydon Kimbrough. Gerdes added eight rebounds, as Kimbrough finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

Cedar Falls made Dowling Catholic pay for its 14 turnovers, converting them into 17 points. They were also plus-12 on second-chance points and made 15 of 28 shots between the second and third quarters when they built a 12-point cushion.

For the Maroons, Noah Martens had 15 points while Maddox Coppola added eight and Charlie Crane had seven points with five rebounds.

All the games can be live-streamed on the IAHSAA YouTube channel, with High School on SI providing game-by-game coverage as well.

Johnston Does It Again, Stuns Waukee

Johnston’s Cinderella run through the Class 4A postseason continued, as they stunned Waukee two days after eliminating Waukee Northwest, 57-49.

The pressure of the defense applied by the Dragons and head coach Courtney Henderson bothered the favored Warriors, who committed 15 turnovers that directly led to 17 points.

Tino Daye Jr. scored 17 points with four assists, Joshua Jenkins added 16 with seven rebounds and Nicare Cavil had 13.

Johnston knocked off Waukee Northwest in the quarterfinals, sending Div. I recruits Landon Davis and Colin Rice home early. They did the same to a third in Evan Jacobson of Waukee, who is headed to Texas A&M to play both basketball and football.

Jacobson led the Warriors with 14 points and eight rebounds before fouling out, as Landon Hanson had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jai White added 11 points.

The Dragons led by as many as eight in the first half, pushing the advantage to double digits in the third quarter. They made seven 3-pointers in the opening 16 minutes, including a pair by Jenkins.

St. Edmond Punches 1A Finals Ticket, 74-55

Hunter Horn and Jakob Koopman each had a double-double, leading St. Edmond to the Class 1A state championship for the first time since 2012 with a 74-55 victory over Burlington Notre Dame.

Horn finished with game-highs of 27 points and 11 rebounds, as Koopman recorded 10 and 10 while also holding Western Illinois signee Shay Stephens to just 18 points on 5 of 19 shooting from the field.

The Gaels had two others in double figures, with Carson Bargfrede scoring 17 and Grant Galles 13. Bargfrede added seven rebounds and Galles five. All four, along with fellow senior Jack McElroy, were on the team that reached the semifinals last year, falling to Madrid.

For Burlington Notre Dame, Stephens added 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals, as L.J. Harris had eight points and four rebounds.

Bellevue Marquette Catholic Back In Finals For Third Straight Year

Behind a balanced offensive attack led by Louis Gonner, Bellevue Marquette Catholic secured a third straight trip to the 1A finals with a 65-56 victory over MMCRU.

Gonner scored 17 points, as both Koen Roeder and Justin Severson each finished with 13. Severson also grabbed seven rebounds, as Gonner recorded three boards and three assists.

The Defenders, who fell for Madrid in the finals last year, shot 53 percent from the field and were 6 of 14 from the 3-point line.

For MMCRU, Kamden Bork scored 20 points with nine rebounds and Michael Schmillen added 14 with five boards, three assists and two steals.

Ryan Clair, Kuemper Catholic Knock Treynor Out

Senior Ryan Clair scored a game-high 27 points and top-seed Kuemper Catholic earned a spot in the Class 2A championship game with a thrilling 57-56 victory over Treynor.

Clair had 17 in the first half, shooting 11-for-15 from the field while adding five rebounds and a pair of assists for the Knights. Kuemper opened an early 22-13 lead, going up by as many as 14.

But Treynor did not go down quietly, as the Cardinals outscored the Knights in the second, 19-7, and went up by six just before the halftime break. Alec Lovely recorded 26 points, as Ethan Hill added 12.

One of the highest-scoring teams in the state, Kuemper Catholic relied on its defense late, getting a turnover on the final possession of the game to secure the win. They had nine steals overall, as Dylan Schon had four to go along with 15 points.

Unity Christian Makes Statement, Blows Out Iowa City Regina

Dylan Bosma drained nine 3-pointers and scored 27 points, carrying Unity Christian to a one-sided victory over Iowa City Regina in the Class 2A semifinals, 72-47.

As a team, the Knights made 10 triples, as three others reached double figures. Austin Wieringa had 14 to go along with six rebounds, Tyce VanDonge scored 13 with eight rebounds and six assists, and Keagen Winterfeld chipped in 12.

Unity Christian shot 64 percent from the floor and 59 percent from deep, helping them turn a three-point lead after the first into a commanding 55-32 advantage going into the fourth.

Ben Wade led the Regals with 19 points and Will Litton added 14.

Add us as a preferred source on Google