(From IHSAA) DES MOINES – A state title is finally going back to Glenwood. In one of the most thrilling, noisy, and up-tempo championship games of the last decade, the Rams (25-2) escaped fellow first-time finalist Oskaloosa for a 66-62 win on Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

A massive crowd took in the back-and-forth contest, as the lead changed 13 times and score was level 11 times before Glenwood had claimed their final advantage and made two late free throws to clinch the title. Oskaloosa and Glenwood were tied at halftime (38-38) and after the third quarter (51-51), so a tense finish felt right, and a flow of dunks, 3-pointers, and standout effort delivered.

Oskaloosa was led by Jarad Kruse’s 21 points, while Cole Henry added 16, and star sophomore Xavier Foster finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots in defeat. Oskaloosa’s seven previous visits to state never included a final, and four were from 1923-30. Coach Ryan Parker’s squad stood up to the environment, shooting a scorching 82 percent in the first quarter and 68 percent for the first half. They cooled after intermission, but still hit eight 3-pointers and had several rim-rattling finishes by Henry and Foster.

Glenwood’s win completed a program turnaround, as coach Curt Schulte brought a freshman class that appeared in Des Moines in 2015 full circle to Friday’s championship. Andrew Blum hit four 3-pointers and recorded a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds to earn All-Tournament Team captain honors. Christian Stanislav, Nate Mohr, and his freshman brother Ryan Blum all finished in double-digits scoring, too. After being down 20 points to Norwalk in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, raising up a title trophy was sweet for a group that raised their program and community on Friday.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Nate Mohr, Glenwood

Jarad Kruse, Oskaloosa

Matthew Mims, Xavier, Cedar Rapids

Xavier Foster, Oskaloosa

Andrew Blum, Glenwood (captain)

(From IHSAA) DES MOINES – Cascade, Western Dubuque has one of Iowa’s most storied basketball programs. Now, it finally has a Class 2A championship to go with its winning history. The sixth-seeded Cougars (26-1) knocked off previously unbeaten Treynor on Friday afternoon, using a second half scoring spurt and its trademark zone defense to win a 49-38 title game.

Treynor (26-1) was the 2015 champion and Cascade the 2016 runner-up in 2A. They had a close clash on Friday, including a 20-20 tie at halftime, and the game featured just two total fast break points. That pace favored Cascade, which set its 2-3 zone and allowed Treynor to make just 12 field goals in 32 minutes. Treynor’s usual top scorer, senior guard Dillon Faubel, was held to nine points, while Luke Clausen led the Cardinals with 20.

Cascade got double-digits scoring from Gannon O’Brien (12 points), Johnny Supple (11), and Haris Hoffman (10), the latter of whom was named All-Tournament Team captain. The program was making its 10^th appearance at the state tournament this week, but had not won the top prize until Friday under head coach Jacob Brindle. His predecessor, Al Marshall, ranks third in state history with 738 career victories at Cascade and Aquin Cascade over 47 seasons.

Treynor led 32-23 with 4:24 left in the third quarter, but more than halfway through the fourth quarter, found itself trailing 41-32. The untimely 18-0 run was too much to rebound from, and a loud celebration from the navy and gold side of Wells Fargo Arena erupted.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Luke Clausen, Treynor

Gannon O’Brien, Cascade

Carter Cuvelier, Aplington-Parkersburg

Dillon Faubel, Treynor

Haris Hoffman, Cascade (captain)

(From IHSAA) DES MOINES – North Linn got one last look at a state championship and perfect season. It just fell short, off the rim from 3-point range as time expired in Friday’s Class 1A title game, starting up a celebration from Grand View Christian for the second year in a row at Wells Fargo Arena.

The Thunder (25-1) slowed the pace in a 49-46 win, played excellent defense, and leaned on star center Issa Samake when it mattered most, repeating as champions in the Iowa’s small-school class. North Linn entered the contest averaging 91.5 points per game. It left frustrated, held to half that, on 32 percent shooting and unable to unleash its dangerous fast break attack.

North Linn’s engine Jake Hilmer racked up 17 points with six rebounds, six assists, and four steals in defeat, earning All-Tournament Team captain honors. Senior Ryan Miller, who shot the game’s last heave from the left wing on a side out-of-bounds play with two seconds remaining, added 15 points to the Lynx (28-1) cause.

The day belonged to Grand View Christian, as guard Grant DeMeulenaere played his most efficient game of the tournament with 21 points, and Samake threw down multiple impressive alley-oops in a 12-point, 18-rebound, four-block effort. The 6-foot-7 Samake was a difference-maker in the middle of a long zone defense, which North Linn struggled to penetrate, held to just 19 points in a slow first half.

The game was North Linn’s first appearance for the state title. Their closest game of this high-powered season was a 23-point margin in Wednesday’s semifinals against Don Bosco, Gilbertville. They were led by the state’s winningest coach, Bob Hilmer, and his son and co-coach, Mike. But their style was stymied on Friday, with Grand View becoming the first team to repeat in 1A since Boyden-Hull accomplished the feat in 2012-13.

Coach Dave Stubbs was the first head coach for the four-year-old program, which has now made three straight tournaments on its way to back-to-back titles.

CLASS 1A ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Ryan Miller, North Linn

Issa Samake, Grand View Christian

Derrick Schorg, St. Mary’s, Remsen

Jack Kelley, Don Bosco, Gilbertville

Grant DeMeulenaere, Grand View Christian

Jake Hilmer, North Linn (captain)

1A State Championship

Grand View Christian 49, North Linn, Troy Mills 46

2A State Championship

Cascade,Western Dubuque 49, Treynor 38

3A State Championship

Glenwood 66, Oskaloosa 62

3A State Third Place

Cedar Rapids Xavier 60, Waverly-Shell Rock 50

4A State Championship

Cedar Falls 65, Iowa City West 45

4A State Third Place

Waukee 61, Valley, West Des Moines 47

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa sophomore forward Tyler Cook has submitted  paperwork for early entry into the 2018 NBA draft. He has not hired an agent, meaning he could possibly return to the Hawkeyes next season.

Cook announced Friday that he is seeking to gauge the league’s interest after he led Iowa with 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds a game in 2017-18. The 6-foot-9 Cook also ranked seventh in the Big Ten with seven double-doubles and eighth in shooting percentage.

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery says he supports Cook’s decision to test the waters of professional basketball.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State has shuffled its offensive coaching staff, moving three assistants into new positions to compensate for the loss of coordinator Tom Manning to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Cyclones announced on Friday that graduate assistant Jeff Myers will take over as the offensive line coach. Passing game coordinator Jim Hofner will be a senior offensive analyst and an assistant to head coach Matt Campbell. Joel Gordon will serve as the program’s quarterbacks coach.

The Colts announced late last month that Manning, who was also Iowa State’s line coach, will work with their tight ends under new coach Frank Reich. Iowa State averaged 29.2 points per game last season, the third-highest total in school history.

Consolations

Class 3A
10:30am- Xavier, Cedar Rapids (19-7) vs. Waverly-Shell Rock (19-7)

Class 4A
12:15pm- Waukee (20-5) vs. Valley, WDM (17-8)

Championships

Class 1A
2:00pm- North Linn (28-0) vs. Grand View Christian (24-1)

Class 2A
3:45pm- Treynor (26-0) vs. Cascade (25-1)

Class 3A
6:30pm- Glenwood (24-2) vs. Oskaloosa (23-3)

Class 4A
8:15pm- Iowa City West (21-4) vs. Cedar Falls (20-5)

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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(From IHSSA)

DES MOINES – Glenwood is going to the state championship for the first time.

In a thrilling 69-63 victory over two-time defending champ Xavier, Cedar Rapids, the Rams outlasted Class 3A’s top seed in a game that featured 12 ties, 13 lead changes, and tension until the final seconds. The southwest Iowa squad advanced with a pair of seniors, Nate Mohr and Andrew Blum, who first played at Wells Fargo Arena as freshmen, and clinched a spot in Friday’s final game by scoring 21 points each when it mattered most.

Xavier had won the 2016 and 2017 titles with consistent and clutch play, but important shots evaded coach Ryan Luehrsmann’s team on Thursday afternoon. Seniors Matthew Mims and Jackson Joens had 14 points each, but combined to shoot 9-of-35 from the field and were constantly fending off pressure coming from Glenwood’s guards and massive crowd. The game did mark a fourth straight season in the 3A semifinals for Xavier (19-7), which will play in Friday’s 10:30 a.m. consolation game.

Christian Stanislav chipped in 16 points to help Mohr and Blum down the stretch. As a team, the Rams hit 17 of their 18 free throws, cooling off a hot back-and-forth contest. Coach Curt Schulte’s team also hit 18-of-19 free throw attempts in the quarterfinals. Besides the quick quarterfinal appearance in 2015, Glenwood has just one other state tournament tally on its resume; a 1952 trip that included a first round win and quarterfinal loss in the single-class field. On Friday at 6 p.m., the program will get a chance to win the biggest prize in Class 3A.

The Rams will face Oskaloosa for the title on Friday at 6:30pm.

Consolations
Class 1A – 3rd place
Don Bosco, Gilbertville 61 St. Mary’s, Remsen 53
Class 2A – 3rd place
Aplington-Parkersburg 65, Sheldon 52

Semifinals
Class 3A
Glenwood 69, Xavier, Cedar Rapids 63
Oskaloosa 48. Waverly- Shell Rock 45
Class 4A
Iowa City, West 58, Waukee 50
Cedar Falls 67, WDM Valley 58