Friday, March 13
Finals
Class 3A
#1 Ballard 43, #3 ADM 39 (OT) — For just the 14th time in Iowa history, a boys basketball state championship game went into overtime and the top seeded Bombers beat the Tigers to earn their first ever state title. It was a low scoring tug of war — Ballard led 22-15 at the half but ADM outscored the Bombers 14-4 in the third quarter to take a 29-26 lead. Ballard drew even on a Parker Miller jump shot but ADM answered with four straight points to lead 33-29. Miller made back-to-back lay-ups to tie it again at 33-33. After an ADM steal, Hudson Lorensen made a jumper with 8 seconds left to lead 35-33. Ballard tried a last minute shot which did not go but a foul was called on the Tigers Hudson Sill. Jude Gibson hit both free throws with 1 second left in regulation to send the game into OT at 35-35.
Gibson gave the Bombers the lead in the extra period at the 2:56 mark and after a couple of missed opportunities for ADM, Miller converted two free throws for a 39-35 lead. Trey Bryte got a quick lay up for the Tigers and got a block on the defensive end. However, Gibson made a big steal with 14 seconds left and was fouled — once again he hit both free throws to give the Bombers a two possession lead and that was enough to hold on for the win. Parker Miller led Ballard (26-1) with 17 points while Jude Gibson added 14. The Bombers were just 2-18 on their three point shots. ADM (24-3) was led by Trey Bryte with 14 points and 17 rebounds while Hudson Lorensen added 11. The last state championship game to go to OT was Mount Pleasant beating Western Dubuque 66-62 in 2 OT in 2012.
Box Score, Click Here: 3A-7-Ballard-ADM-3.13.26
3A All Tournament Team
Captain: Hudson Lorensen, ADM
Trey Bryte, ADM
Jude Gibson, Ballard
Evan Abbott, Ballard
Jaidyn Coon, Storm Lake
Class 4A
#1 Cedar Falls 56, #6 Johnston 48 — The Tigers rallied to end the Cinderella run by the Dragons and finish with an unblemished 25-0 record. Johnston led 22-7 after the first quarter and led by as many as 17 points in the 2nd quarter. Trailing 34-17, Cedar Falls went on a 13-0 run from late in the 2nd quarter to midway in the third period. The Tigers only trailed 37-36 after three quarters. Jaydon Kimbrough hit a three pointer early for Cedar Falls in the 4th to take a 39-37 advantage. The lead changed hands four times with a Will Gerdes jumper giving the Tigers a 44-43 lead and that sparked an 8-0 run to take control of the game.
Gerdes led Cedar Falls with 19 points while Kimbrough and Leyton Wolf each added 13 points. Nicare Cavil had 25 points for Johnston (17-9) including 6 of 13 from three point land. The Dragons hit 11 triples in the game and after beating Waukee Northwest and Waukee, their incredible run comes to an end. Cedar Falls wins their 2nd state title in school history, the first one coming in 2018.
Box Score, Click Here: 4A-7-CF-Johnston-3.13.26
4A All Tournament Team
Captain: Will Gerdes, Cedar Falls
Jaydon Kimbrouggh, Cedar Falls
Tino Daye Jr, Johnston
Nicare Cavil, Johnston
Noah Martens, Dowling
Class 1A
#1 St. Edmond, Fort Dodge 54, #6 Marquette Catholic, Bellevue 42 — The Gaels dominated the 4th quarter to win their second state title in school history. The first half was close with Bellevue leading 30-28 at the half. Marquette led by as many as seven in the third quarter but St. Edmond went on a 19-0 run from the end of the third period to 3:15 remaining in the 4th. The Gaels went from down 39-32 to leading 51-39 — Hunter Horn had 9 points in the run. Koen Roeder hit a triple for Marquette with 2:13 left but by then the damage was done.
Horn led the way for St. Edmond (26-2) with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Carson Bargfrede added 13. Roeder and Tate Kueter each had 10 points for Marquette Catholic (25-3).
Box Score, Click Here: 1A-7-StEd-Marquette-3.13.26
1A All Tournament Team
Captain: Hunter Horn, St. Edmond
Louis Gonner, Marquette Catholic
Justin Severson, Marquette Catholic
Shay Stevens, Notre Dame, Burlington
Kamden Bork, MMCRU
Class 2A
#3 Orange City Unity Chrhiistian 67, #1 Kuemper Catholic 64 — Unity Christian won its 4th career state title and first since 2005. The Unity Knights jumped out early leading 19-8 after the first quarter. KC came back and actually took the lead with 40 seconds left in the 2nd quarter on a Dylan Schon lay-up but Brayden Harskamp nailed a three pointer at the buzzer to give Unity a 34-32 lead at the half.
A Griffin Glynn lay-up tied it at 34-34 to start the 2nd half followed by a Jack Badding steal and two free throws to put Kuemper up two. They kept the lead until a Dylan Bosma three pointer put Unity back in front 48-46. After a Ryan Clair free throw and a Glynn lay-up put Kuemper back in front, Keagan Winterfield hit a jumper at the very end of the third quarter for a 50-49 Unity lead.
That shot started a 9-0 run for Unity to build a 57-49 lead in the 4th quarter. Down 60-54, Kuemper came back to within two. Unity pushed the see saw back up to six 64-58. Kuemper cut it to three 64-61 but now there was just 32 seconds left. Unity hit 3 of 4 free throws but Glynn hit a three pointer with 15 seconds left to cut the lead to three. Bosma missed two free throws for Unity to give KC a chance but Glynn missed Kuemper’s final chance to tie.
Unity Christian (25-2) was led by Tyce Van Donge with 25 points; Harskamp had 13 and Winterfield added 12. Glynn led Kuemper Catholic (24-4) with 25 points; Clair had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Schon added 12
Box Score, Click Here: 2A-7-Kuemper-Unity-3.13.26
2A All Tournament Team
Captain: Tyce Van Donge, Unity Christian
Brayden Harskamp, Unity Christian
Keagan Winterfield, Unity Christian
Griffin Glynn, Kuemper Catholic
Ryan Clair, Kuemper Catholic
Tate Van Dyke, Union Community
Tuesday, March 10
First Round
Class 4A
#6 Johnston 48, #3 Waukee Northwest 42 — The Dragons went on a 10-2 run at the end of the 2nd quarter and scored the first six points of the 2nd half to build a lead that the Wolves could not overcome. Johnston (16-8) was led by Tino Daye Jr. with 15 points, Nicare Cavil had 14 and Joshua Jenkins added 10. The Dragons won back to back titles in 1995 and 96 and have finished runners up three times — the last being in 2022 when they last were in the semifinals. Waukee Northwest (20-5) were led by Nebraska recruit Colin Rice with 17 points.
Box Score, Click Here: 4A-3-NW-Johnston-3.10.26
#2 Waukee 57, #7 Prairie, Cedar Rapids 51 — The Warriors used a strong third quarter to beat the Hawks and advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2023. Waukee (22-2) was tied with Prairie at 34-34 when Pete Craig blocked a shot and got a lay-up at the other end, was fouled and completed the three point play. Up 44-43 in the 4th quarter, Max Roach got a key steal and finished with a lay-up to make it 46-43. Roach led the way with 18 points while Craig added 12 points. Will Wehr had a game high 20 points in a losing effort for Prairie (18-6).
Box Score, Click Here: 4A-4-Waukee-CRP-3.10.26
Class 1A
#1 St. Edmond 60, #8 Woodbine 44 — The Gaels used a strong 2nd quarter to build a lead against the Tigers and stormed away for a first round win in the first 1A game at the boys state tournament. With the game tied at 12-12 after the first quarter, Jakob Koopman opened the soring in the 2nd with a three for St. Edmond. the Gaels closed the quarter on a 10-0 run to lead 31-18 at the break. Woodbine (17-9) could never get the lead under double digits in the 2nd half — the Tigers turned it over 18 times which provided costly. Landon Blum had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead Woodbine while Jax Pryor added 15 points. The Tigers were 1 of 17 on their three point shots. St. Edmond (24-2) was led by Hunter Horn with 17, Carson Bargfrede had 14 and Koopman added 11.
Box Score: Click Here: 1A-1-SE-Woodbine-3.10.26
#4 Notre Dame, Burlington 68, #5 Bellevue 62 — The Nikes won their first state tournament game since 1981 beating the Comets. Notre Dame last played in the state tournament in 2008 and 2009 with first round exits both years but not in 2026. The Nikes led 34-18 at the half but Bellevue came back to cut the lead to 49-47 after three quarters. The Comets missed a couple of opportunities to tie it and Notre Dame (25-2) went on a 9-1 to build the lead back up to 10. Shay Stephens led the Nikes with 26 points while Bellevue (22-4) was led by Cameron Casel with 16 while KeShawn DeShaw had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Box Score, Click Here: 1A-2-ND-Bellevue-3.10.26-Update
#2 MMCRU 58, #7 Boyden Hull 39 — The Royals never trailed on their way to the semifinals. Four players were in double figures for Marcus Meriden Cleghorn Remsen Union (26-1) with Kamden Bork and Eli Schlenger each had 14 points while Wyatt Alesch and Josh Peterson each added 11. The Comets were in their 21st state tournament but fell to 18-8.
Box Score, Click Here: 1A-3-MMCRU-BH-3.10.26
#6 Marquette Catholic 58, #3 Bishop Garrigan 55 — Marquette Catholic got the upset over the Golden Bears. Michael Joyce of Garrigan tied the game at 50-50 with a three pointer with 3:34 left but the Bears missed their next two chances to take the lead. Louis Gonner made 1-2 free throws with 2:12 left to spark four straight points — the last 9 points by Marquette were from the charity stripe. Gonner led Bellevue (24-2) with 17 points; Michael Joyce led Bishop Garrigan (23-3) with 22 points. Marquette Catholic has been the 1A runners up the last two seasons.
Box Score, Click Here: 1A-4-MC-BG-3.10.26
Wednesday, March 11
First Round
Class 2A
#1 Kuemper Catholic 70, 38 Union 54 — Kuemper led the entire way, jumping out to a 10-0 lead. KC led 19-2 and 23-9 after the first quarter. It was too big of a deficit for Union to overcome. Kuemper Catholic (23-3) dominated the boards, outrebounding Union 49-32 and had 33 offensive rebounds. Griffin Glynn led the way for KC with 24 points despite only 1 of 5 on his threes. Ryan Clair had 15 points and 12 rebounds; Dylan Schon put in 12 points and 9 rebounds; Jack Badding added 7 points and 12 rebounds, 11 of them offensive. Union Community (22-4) was led by Tate Van Dyke with 23 points and 14 rebounds. It is the first appearance in the semifinals for Kuemper Catholic since 2017.
Box Score, Click Here: 2A-1-Kuemper-Union-3.11.26
#4 Treynor 57, #5 Grundy Center 48 — Treynor advances to the state semifinals for the first time since 2023. The Spartans hit back to back threes to start the game but the Cardinals closed the first quarter on a 13-0 run that became a 17-0 run in the 2nd quarter. Treynor led 24-19 at the half. That lead was cut to three 37-34 at the end of the third quarter and Grundy Center’s Brayden Davie hit a three pointer to tie the game at 37-37. Jude Mieska answered with a lay-up, was fouled and completed the three point play. Davie answered back with a three point play of his own to tie the game at 40-40. Alec Lovely got free for a lay-up to put Treynor back up by two. Leading 46-44, Mieska hit another jumper and after a Grundy Center turnover, Lovely hit a jumper to give the Cardinals a six point lead 50-44 with 2:12 to go. Grundy Center (23-2) could get no closer. Treynor (23-3) was led by Lovely with 21 points, Mieska had 14 and Corbin Thien added 12. The Spartans were led by Judd Jirovsky and Davie each with 16 points. Treynor will now face top seeded Kuemper Catholic in the 2A semifinals Thursday at 5:30 pm.
Box Score, Click Here: 2A-2-Treynor-GC-3.11.26
#3 Orange City Unity Christian 70, #6 Hull Western Christian 64 — The Knights won the regular season meeting between the two teams and raced back from an early deficit to advance to the semifinals. Unity trailed 19-7 after the first quarter; got the deficit into single digits in the 2nd quarter but a Tayden Moret three pointer gave Hull a 37-27 lead at the half. The Knights outscored the Wolfpack 25-19 in the third quarter to cut the lead to four and Keagan Winterfield hit a three pointer with 3:23 remaining to give Unity a 63-62 lead. Its a lead they would keep the rest of the game, finishing on a 14-4 run. Unity Christian (23-2) was led by Tyce Van Donge with 28 points and is in the semifinals for the 2nd year in a row while Western Christian (18-7) got 25 points from Moret.
Box Score, Click Here: 2A-3-Unity-Western-3.11.26
#2 Iowa City Regina 70, #7 Aplington Parkersburg 54 — The Regals won their first tournament game since 2015. Will Litton led the way for Regina (23-1) with 21 points while Tate Wallace added 18. Benny Waller had 27 points for Aplington Parkersburg (22-4).
Box Score, Click Here: 2A-4-Regina-AP-3.11.26
Semifinals
Class 3A
#1 Ballard 57, #5 Carroll 55 — The Bombers withstood a furious rally from the Tigers to advance to the 3A finals for the second time in school history. Ballard led 35-19 at the half and 48-34 at the end of three quarters. Trailing 56-39 early in the 4th quarter, the Tigers went on a 11-0 run to make it a two possession game 56-50 with 1:56 remaining. After one free throw by Ballard to end the run, Landon Peterson hit a jumper to cut the lead to 57-52 with 1:06 left. The Bombers kept the door open with two missed free throws and Jared Mohr made 1-2 free throws for Carroll to cut it the lead to four. Ballard missed two more free throws but Peterson missed a three pointer with 22 seconds left. Ballard (25-1) was led by Evan Abbott with 19 points while Carroll (21-6) was led by Jared Mohr with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Box Score, Click Here: 3A-5-Ballard-Carroll-3.11.26
#3 ADM 72, #2 Storm Lake 70 , 2 OT — Trey Byrte hit two free throws with 10 seconds left in the second overtime to send the Tigers to the 3A state title game. The game was a wild roller coaster ride with a lot of twists and turns. The first quarter belonged to the Tornadoes 12-6; the 2nd quarter to ADM taking a 27-25 lead at the break. The Tigers led 43-40 going to the 4th — ADM took the lead shortly into the final period in regulation. There were 9 lead changes alone in the 4th quarter and Byrte hit a lay up at the buzzer to send it to overtime tied at 58-58. At the end of the first OT, Jaidyn Coon for Storm Lake made 1-2 free throws with 7 seconds left to tie it at 63-63 and Byrtue missed a shot at the buzzer. In the 2nd OT, Tate Troster nailed a three for ADM to start; after two free throws by the Tornadoes, Trey Boettcher hit a triple with 2:48 left to give Storm Lake a 68-66 lead. After a Byrtue miss, Cameron Boyd made a jumper to make it a 4 point lead. Byrtue answered with a jumper to cut the lead to 70-68; Boettcher missed a three for the Tornadoes with 1:06 left. Hudson Lorenson tied it at 70-70 with 49 seconds left and Boettcher missed a go ahead three with 13 seconds left. That set the stage for Byrtue who got it inside and was fouled with 10 seconds left. Lorenson led ADM (24-2) with 28 points while Byrtue added 15. Storm Lake (24-3) was led by Coon with 36 points.
Box Score, Click Here: 3A-6-ADM-SL-3.11.26
Thursday, March 12
Semifinals
Class 4A
#1 Cedar Falls 59, #4 Dowling 46 — The Tigers are in the 4A finals for the first time since 2019. Trailing 12-10 after the first quarter, Cedar Falls (24-0) outscored the Maroons 18-9 in the 2nd period, leading 28-21 at the half and never trailed the rest of the game. UNI recruit Will Gerdes led the Tigers with 28 points on 11 of 16 shooting and 6 of 9 from the free throw line. Dowling (21-4) was led by Noah Martens with 15 points.
Box Score, Click Here: 4A-5-CF-DC-3.12.26
#6 Johnston 57, #3 Waukee 49 — The Dragons get their second straight upset, knocking out both teams from Waukee. The Warriors scored the first six points of the game and led 16-12 after one quarter. Johnston scored the first 8 points of the 2nd quarter to lead 20-18 and took a 31-26 lead into the locker room. Their lead was extended to 13 at one point before Waukee went on a 11-0 run from the end of the 3rd quarter into the 4th period. Joshua Jenkins ended it with a three pointer for the Dragons with 2:45 left and that was the back breaker for the Warriors. Tino Daye led Johnston (17-8) with 17 points while Jenkins added 16. Waukee (21-3) was led Evan Jacobson with 14 points.
Box Score, Click Here: 4A-6-Waukee-Johnston-3.12.26
Class 1A
#1 St. Edmond 74, #4 Notre Dame, Burlington 55 — The Gaels used a strong 2nd half to advance to the 1A finals for the first time since 2012. Leading 31-28 at the half, St. Edmond went on a 14-2 run to start the third quarter to lead 45-30 and they cruised the rest of the way. Hunter Horn led St. Edmond (25-2) with 27 points on 8-14 shooting and 11-14 from the free throw line plus the star forward had 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Notre Dame (25-3) got 18 points and 10 rebounds from Shay Stephens.
Box Score, Click Here: 1A-5-SE-ND-3.12.26
#6 Marquette Catholic, Bellevue 65, #2 MMCRU 56 — Marquette Catholic upset the 2nd seeded Royals building a 32-20 lead at the half. The Royals closed to within six at the end of the third quarter but Bellevue made their free throws in the 4th quarter to pull away. The game was won at the charity stripe — Marquette was 17 of 26 from the free throw line while MMCRU was 8 of 14. Louis Gonner led Marquette Catholic (25-2) with 17 points while Kamden Bork had 20 for Marcus Meriden Cleghorn Remsen Union (26-2). Marquette Catholic is in the state title game for the third year in a row — they were runners up the previous two years.
Box Score, Click Here: 1A-6-MMCRU-Marquette-3.12.26-1
Class 2A
#1 Kuemper Catholic 58, #4 Treynor 57 — The Knights move to the 2A finals in a tight win over the Cardinals. Ryan Clair helped KC establish a 22-13 lead with 14 first quarter points. Treynor came back with a 12-0 run in the 2nd quarter — Alec Lovely hit a three with 23 seconds left to lead 32-26 but Ryan Clair answered with a triple with 15 seconds left and the Cardinals led at the half 32-29. Treynor held a slim lead through most of the 3rd quarter until back to back baskets by Dylan Schon for KC to tie it at 40-40. Kuemper closed the quarter with a 6-2 advantage to lead 46-42 at the end of three. The Knights kept a slight lead the entire 4th quarter — Ethan Hill cut the lead to one with 1-2 free throws with 45 seconds. Kuemper ran the clock down before Theodore Perkins was fouled with 12 seconds left. He missed both free throws but the Cardinals could not get a shot off in their final possession and the Knights held on to win it.
Clair led Kuemper (24-3) with 27 points on 11 of 15 shooting. Schon added 15 points. Jack Badding had 9 points and 5 rebounds. Treynor (23-4) was led by Lovely with 26 points while Ethan Hill added 12. Treynor outrebounded KC 30-21. The Cardinals were 9 of 16 from three point land. Kuemper ultimately outshot Treynor — the Knights were 23-42 from the field for 55 percent. They were 100 percent from the field in the first quarter and shot 70 percent in the third quarter.
Box Score, Click Here: 2A-5-Kuemper-Treynor-3.12.26
#3 Orange Citymade Unity Christian 72, #2 Iowa City Regina 46 — The Knights made it an all-knight final by rolling past the Regals. Unity led 12-9 after one quarter, 34-22 at the half and 55-31 after three quarters. Dylan Bosma had 9 three pointers for Unity Christian (24-2) and finished with 27 points. Ben Wade led Iowa City Regina (23-2) with 21 points
Box Score, Click Here: 2A-6-Unity-Regina-3.12.26
