Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament: CR Kennedy, WDM Valley punch tickets to 4A final
DES MOINES – Cedar Rapids Kennedy entered the state tournament last season flying high, unbeaten and as the top seed in Class 4A.
The Cougars were sent home early after a humbling 57-45 loss to Pleasant Valley in the quarterfinals.
“However many days it was in between that game and our first game here yesterday, you think about it every day,’’ junior guard Trey McKowen said. “You talk about it all the time. It kind of fueled us to get better in the offseason and it shows out here.’’
Top-seeded and unbeaten Kennedy is one win from its first boys state basketball championship in 40 years. The Cougars outclassed fifth-seeded Ankeny 63-51 in a 4A semifinal Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Griffin Gerdes drives against Ankeny's Cash Schoolen during a Class 4A state tournament semifinal at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Thursday. (Photo by Ryan Timmerman)
Top-rated Kennedy (25-0) will bid for its third state title (1972, 1984) here Friday at 7 p.m. against second-rated, second-seeded West Des Moines Valley (20-5), the defending champion.
The Cougars raced to a 27-10 lead after one quarter, getting 13 points in the first 5:35 from 6-foot-7 senior Micah Schlaak. Their defense made things difficult on the Hawks, who struggled to get open looks in the early going. They held 4A’s leading scorer, senior point guard Carson Johnson (23.7 ppg), to just four in the first half.
“It’s a team, collective effort to get that done,’’ Kennedy coach Jon McKowen said. “We tried to double him in the backcourt, make somebody else bring it up. We got them to take some tough shots. When you’re getting stops like that, that hoop looks a little bigger every possession.’’
Ankeny fought its way back into contention, trailing just 39-32 with 6:57 left in the third quarter on Johnson’s 3-pointer. But Kennedy went on a 14-4 run to break it open at 53-36 with 2:25 left in the third. Cyrus Courtney, a 6-2 senior, scored nine of his 17 points in the third, sharing team-high scoring honors with Schlaak.
“That’s the thing about their team,’’ Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson said. “Once you try to take away their shooter, now he’s going downhill and he’s a great athlete. He wanted it. You could tell.’’
Rio Aguirre led Ankeny with 18 points, hitting 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Lio Aguirre added 11 points and five rebounds. Johnson finished with nine points, hitting 4 of 13 from the field, including 1 of 4 from beyond the arc.
In their 18th trip to state, the Hawks were seeking their third state championship and second in five years.
“I’m proud of our guys,’’ Carlson said. “They really fought and tried. We cut it to 10 at the half. But in the third it got away from us again.’’
Trey McKowen, the coach’s son, and Joseph Bean added 13 points apiece for the winners.
Valley earns shot at repeat title
They’re the second seed, but the defending champions.
After dispatching sixth-seeded Bettendorf 66-46 Thursday in a Class 4A state semifinal, West Des Moines Valley has earned a shot at back-to-back crowns. They’ll meet unbeaten, top-seeded Cedar Rapids Kennedy (25-0) in Friday’s 7 p.m. championship game.
Valley coach B.J. Windhorst is just fine with the underdog tag.
“We want the pressure to be on them,’’ the former Clarinda High School and Drake University star said. “I think they feel like they let one slip last year and maybe we stole one. We’ll play loose and give ‘em heck. It’s going to take our best game of the year by far to win tomorrow night.’’
West Des Moines Valley's Curtis Stinson drives to the hoop during a Class 4A state tournament semifinal against Bettendorf at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Thursday. (Photo by Ryan Timmerman)
Valley made it look easy in the semifinals, using its superior athleticism to win the turnover battle and cruise into the championship game for the 10th time in school history. The Tigers are seeking their fourth state title (1993, 2016, 2023).
“It would mean a lot, to be able to go back to back,’’ Valley junior Curtis Stinson said. “That’s something that a lot of people don’t get to do in their lives. We’re here now, so we might as well go win it.’’
The Tigers jumped on Bettendorf from the outset to the tune of 14-3, with six of those points coming from the 6-foot-5 Stinson, who turned in a terrific all-around game with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Making its 16th state appearance, Bettendorf chipped away and got within 16-9 on Ben Kerkhoff’s 3-pointer. But Valley stretched it out to lead 36-19 at the intermission, as 6-4 junior Kiki Deng scored 10 of his game-high 18 before the break.
Valley held Bulldog leading scorer Caden Wilkins to three first-half points, allowing him only four field-goal attempts in the first two quarters. He entered the game with an 18.6 scoring average, and finished with 16, but most came after the outcome was no longer in doubt.
“Our focus was on not letting him get going,’’ Windhorst said.
Said Stinson: “We take a lot of pride on defense. We started off the year a little rocky on defense, but as the year’s gone on, we’re like, ‘If we’re going to go back to the state championship again, we’re going to have to play some defense.’’’
The second half lacked any drama. Bettendorf cut it to 52-37 with 4:29 left on a Wilkins 3, but Valley quickly scored to push it back to 21.
Zay Robinson, who’s been battling injuries, added 10 points for Valley. Now the Tigers have a chance to be the first back-to-back champs in 4A since Cedar Falls in 2018 and 2019.
“They’re on a mission, for sure,’’ Windhorst said of Kennedy. “But it just takes one night, right? We’re where we wanted to be at the beginning of the year. It’s been a rocky journey, but we’ll have a plan and we’ll show up tomorrow night.’’
--Kevin White | @SBLiveIA
