Iowa Boys State Tournament: Setting Stage For Championship Friday

Semifinals in 4A, 1A and 2A take place from Casey’s Center in Des Moines.

Cedar Falls’ Will Gerdes (32) reacts March 9, 2026 during an Iowa high school boys state basketball tournament quarterfinal against the Urbandale J-Hawks at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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. 

Up Next…

The 1A semifinal games include No. 1 St. Edmond vs. Burlington Notre Dame and MMCRU vs. Bellevue Marquette. To conclude the day, Kuemper Catholic takes on Treynor and Unity Christian faces off with Iowa City Regina in 2A.