STATE TOURNAMENT: Class 1A Recaps
Championship: No. 2 Grand View Christian 61, No. 4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 50
Throughout the course of this week, Grand View Christian has been proving that their defensive numbers aren’t inflated by playing a poor regular season schedule. They continued to do so in the championship game, putting the clamps down on Gladbrook-Reinbeck star Joe Smoldt en route to the school’s first ever state championship, winning 61-50 on Friday night.
The Thunder led by double figures from the 4:54 mark in the first quarter on, jumping out to a 12-0 lead and never looking back. Using a combination of an efficient, patient offense, and absolutely smothering defense, they were simply dominant throughout the evening. They double teamed Smoldt as soon as he crossed halfcourt, making life difficult for him in the first half as they built up a big lead.
Smoldt started to get things rolling late in the third quarter, hitting back-to-back 3s to cut the lead down to 10 points, seemingly giving the Rebels some momentum heading into the fourth quarter. But a corner 3 from Bryce Crabb beat the buzzer and killed any Gladbrook-Reinbeck momentum.
Grand View Christian ends the season with a 27-1 record, winning 27 straight games after losing their season opener to 3A state qualifier Pella. The Thunder were led by Grant DeMeulenaere, who had 17 points. Mach Nyaw added 11 points and Bryce Crabb had 10. The Thunder will be one of the favorites again in 1A next season, as they return every key rotation player outside of Stephen Glenn and Nathan Long.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck ends the year with a 26-3 record. The Rebels were led by Joe Smoldt, who had 25 points, but it came on just 5-19 shooting. Smoldt ended a marvelous career by becoming just the seventh player in Iowa high school history to make at least 300 3-pointers, and his 25 points gave him 2,358 career points, good for seventh most all-time. He was named the captain of the all-tournament team for the third straight year.
All-tournament team: Stephen Glenn (Grand View Christian), Nicholas Ruden (St. Mary’s, Remsen), Jake Hilmer (North Linn), Grant DeMeulenaere (Grand View Christian), Joe Smoldt (Gladbrook-Reinbeck, captain)
MVP: Grant DeMeulenaere (Grand View Christian) — 17 points (8-15 FG, 1-2 3P), five rebounds, four assists, one steal
The smooth scoring guard was sensational all week, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. He got the Thunder off to a quick start, scoring 10 first quarter points, and then never looked back en route to their first ever state title.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 2 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 50 |
Grand View Christian | 19 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 61 |
Gladbrook-Reinbeck: Joe Smoldt 25, Matt Roeding 8, Tyler Pierce 7, Caden Kickbush 4, Walker Thede 3, Mason Skovgard 3
Grand View Christian: Grant DeMeulenaere 17, Mach Nyaw 11, Bryce Crabb 10, Arturo Montes 9, Stephen Glenn 8, Nathan Long 2, Sam Glenn 2, Augie Saliu 2
Team stats
Gladbrook-Reinbeck: 13-41 FG (31.7%), 5-16 3P (31.3%), 19-28 FT (67.9%), 12 offensive rebounds, 17 defensive rebounds (29 total), nine turnovers, four assists
Grand View Christian: 22-44 FG (50.0%), 5-13 3P (38.5%), 12-16 FT (75.0%), seven offensive rebounds, 20 defensive rebounds (27 total), nine turnovers, 14 assists
Semifinal No. 2: No. 2 Grand View Christian 45, No. 3 St. Mary’s, Remsen 36
After putting on a clinic on offensive efficiency during Monday’s quarterfinal round, St. Mary’s, Remsen found the going significantly tougher Thursday afternoon, as Grand View Christian advanced to Friday night’s championship game with a 45-36 win. The Thunder will take on Gladbrook-Reinbeck, with tip off scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Stephen Glenn had a rough game in the quarterfinals, scoring just five points for the Thunder. In the semifinals, he was spectacular. He scored eight of Grand View’s first 10 points, as they jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first quarter. The Thunder didn’t trail by more than a possession during the contest.
Tied at 31 with 3:44 to play, Grand View closed the game on a 14-5 run, holding St. Mary’s without a field goal for 3:30 during that stretch, while getting some timely buckets from Glenn, and big defensive plays from the entire roster. The Thunder held an efficient Hawks offense to just 30.0% from the floor and forced 18 turnovers.
Grand View Christian (26-1) was led by Stephen Glenn, who scored a game-high 20 points, to go with five rebounds and five steals.
St. Mary’s, Remsen falls to 25-1 with the loss. They’ll face North Linn, who also suffered their first defeat of the season, in Friday morning’s consolation game. The Hawks were led by Nicholas Ruden, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
MVP: Stephen Glenn (Grand View Christian) — 20 points (7-13 FG, 4-8 3P, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, five steals
Glenn was pretty much a non-factor in the Thunder’s quarterfinal win. He was exceptional in this one. He scored a game-high 20 points, got the Thunder off to a quick start by scoring eight points in the first quarter, and knocked down four 3s in the game. None were bigger than the 3 he hit to break 31-all tie in the middle of the fourth quarter. They didn’t trail the rest of the way.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
St. Mary’s, Remsen | 8 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 36 |
Grand View Christian | 10 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 45 |
St. Mary’s, Remsen: Nicholas Ruden 13, Jacob Wesselmann 9, Carter Kuchel 7, RJ Staab 4, Spencer Schorg 2, Brody Ricke 1
Grand View Christian: Stephen Glenn 20, Grant DeMeulenaere 7, Sam Glenn 7, Arturo Montes 4, Bryce Crabb 4, Mach Nyaw 3
Team stats
St. Mary’s, Remsen: 12-40 FG (30.0%), 5-17 3P (29.4%), 7-12 FT (58.3%), 10 offensive rebounds, 23 defensive rebounds (33 total), 18 turnovers, eight assists
Grand View Christian: 12-39 FG (30.8%), 5-17 3P (29.4%), 16-25 FT (64.0%), nine offensive rebounds, 20 defensive rebounds (29 total), 13 turnovers, seven assists
Semifinal No. 1: No. 4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 58, No. 1 North Linn 53
It certainly wasn’t his highest scoring output in his Wells Fargo Arena career, but Joe Smoldt may have saved his best all-around performance at the state tournament for his penultimate game. The Gladbrook-Reinbeck senior star delivered a sterling 19 point, nine rebound, eight assist performance as his Rebels erased a seven-point halftime deficit and knocked off previously unbeaten North Linn, 58-53, on Thursday morning. Gladbrook-Reinbeck will play for the Class 1A title on Friday night against the winner of the Grand View Christian vs. St. Mary’s, Remsen contest.
North Linn went back to their roots in the first half, applying a full-court press on both makes and misses, helping force nine first half turnovers by Gladbrook-Reinbeck. The Rebels cleaned that up a bit in the second half, finishing with 14 turnovers for the game.
Entering the fourth quarter, it had been a quiet scoring morning from Smoldt, who has had a slew of 30+ point showings here. He scored the first five points of the quarter, coming off a ball screen to hit a big 3, then splashing home a mid-range jumper, giving Gladbrook-Reinbeck a 45-42 lead. They didn’t trail the rest of the way.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck (26-2) was led by Joe Smoldt, who had 19 points. Tyler Pierce added 17 and Caden Kickbush had 12 in the win. The Rebels will play for their second 1A title in the last three years.
North Linn drops to 26-1 with the loss. The Lynx will face the loser of the Grand View Christian vs. St. Mary’s, Remsen game in the consolation game on Friday morning. They were led by sophomore standout Jake Hilmer, who had a game-high 20 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds. Ryan Miller joined him in double figures with 15. The Lynx shot just 31% from the floor as a team, and just 5-25 (20%) from behind the arc.
MVP: Joe Smoldt (Gladbrook-Reinbeck) — 19 points (6-15 FG, 4-8 3P, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds, eight assists (two turnovers)
It was far from his best scoring game, but Smoldt delivered perhaps his best all-around floor game during his state tournament career in this semifinal win. He dished out eight assists, was a force on the glass and scored eight of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, when the Rebels most needed them. A sterling opus in his penultimate high school game.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 15 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 58 |
North Linn | 16 | 17 | 9 | 11 | 53 |
Gladbrook-Reinbeck: Joe Smoldt 19, Tyler Pierce 17, Caden Kickbush 12, Walker Thede 6, Matt Roeding 2, Thomas Mussig 2
North Linn: Jake Hilmer 20, Ryan Miller 15, Adam Waskow 6, Trevor Boge 5, David Seber 3, Bradley Pflughaupt 3, Carter Johnson 1
Team stats
Gladbrook-Reinbeck: 20-41 FG (48.8%), 6-14 3P (42.9%), 12-16 FT (75.0%), five offensive rebounds, 30 defensive rebounds (35 total), 14 turnovers, 15 assists
North Linn: 18-58 FG (31.0%), 5-25 3P (20.0%), 12-16 FT (75.0%), 12 offensive rebounds, 18 defensive rebounds (30 total), six turnovers, 12 assists
Quarterfinal No. 4: No. 2 Grand View Christian 59, No. 7 West Hancock 36
The state’s highest scoring team, Grand View Christian, was held nearly 30 points below their season scoring average, but still cruised to a quarterfinal win over West Hancock, 59-36, on Monday afternoon.
The Thunder jumped out to a 6-0 lead before West Hancock knew what hit them, and the Eagles didn’t score until the 2:01 mark of the first quarter (a free throw). Their first field goal didn’t come until early in the second quarter, and they trailed 10-1 after one. Grand View Christian forced nine turnovers in the first quarter, and 18 in the game, as they cruised to victory.
Grand View Christian (25-1) was led by Grant DeMeulenaere, who had a game-high 21 points. Mach Nyaw added 12 off the bench, and Arturo Montes had a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Thunder will face unbeaten and No. 3 seed St. Mary’s, Remsen on Thursday afternoon in the semifinals, with tip-off scheduled for 12:15 p.m.
West Hancock ends their season with a 19-7 record. The Eagles were led by Dylan Eckels, who had 11 points. Ben Eisenman added 10 in the loss.
MVP: Grant DeMeulenaere (Grand View Christian) — 21 points (9-13 FG), three assists, four steals
The sharpshooting junior guard scored a game-high 21 points for the Thunder and was in complete control of the game throughout. He displayed a beautiful mid-range game, knocked down three of five attempts from the arc and came away with four steals as well.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
West Hancock | 1 | 14 | 8 | 13 | 36 |
Grand View Christian | 10 | 18 | 12 | 19 | 59 |
West Hancock: Dylan Eckels 11, Ben Eisenman 10, Chase Eisenman 6, Gavin Becker 5, Seth Weiland 4
Grand View Christian: Grant DeMeulenaere 21, Mach Nyaw 12, Arturo Montes 11, Sam Glenn 6, Stephen Glenn 5, Bryce Crabb 2, Nathan Long 2
Team stats
West Hancock: 12-43 FG (27.9%), 4-16 3P (25.0%), 8-16 FT (50.0%), 11 offensive rebounds, 29 defensive rebounds (40 total), 18 turnovers, seven assists
Grand View Christian: 26-64 FG (40.6%), 5-25 3P (20.0%), 2-3 FT (66.7%), nine offensive rebounds, 24 defensive rebounds (33 total), four turnovers, 13 assists
Quarterfinal No. 3: No. 3 St. Mary’s, Remsen 59, No. 6 New London 52
Third seed and unbeaten St. Mary’s, Remsen jumped out to a quick lead in the first quarter and never looked back in Monday afternoon’s quarterfinal win over sixth seed New London, 59-52. The Hawks move into Thursday’s semifinals, where they’ll face the winner of the Grand View Christian vs. West Hancock game.
St. Mary’s shot 8-10 from the floor, including 4-4 from behind the arc, while jumping out to a 22-16 lead after one. The shooting cooled off significantly over the course of the rest of the game, but New London was never able to take a lead in a game that St. Mary’s led from start-to-finish.
An entertaining game throughout, it was the hot start that made the difference here. New London was able to close within two in the fourth quarter, but they could never get over the hump.
St. Mary’s (25-0) was led by Nicholas Ruden, who scored a game-high 26 points. Jacob Wesselmann added 19 for the Hawks, including five 3s. He started the game and the second half on nearly identical plays, knocking down a corner 3 after some off-ball movement.
New London ends their season with a 21-4 record. The Tigers were led by Mason Porter, who had 19 points (13 in the first half). Ben Dentlinger added 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in the loss. The Tigers were held 17 points below their season average of 69 points a game.
MVP: Nicholas Ruden (St. Mary’s, Remsen) — 26 points (9-18 FG, 6-7 FT), seven rebounds
The 6-4 junior combo forward was impressive throughout, showing the ability to score both inside and out en route to his game-high 26 points. He knocked down a pair of 3s and came away with a few big buckets late to help preserve the lead.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
New London | 16 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 52 |
St. Mary’s, Remsen | 22 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 59 |
New London: Mason Porter 19, Ben Dentlinger 15, Keontae Luckett 9, Isaac McSorley 4, Alex Dentlinger 3, Grant Swanson 2
St. Mary’s, Remsen: Nicholas Ruden 26, Jacob Wesselmann 19, Colin Schroeder 6, Derrick Schorg 4, RJ Staab 2, Brody Ricke 2
Team stats
New London: 21-47 FG (44.7%), 3-10 3P (30.0%), 7-11 FT (63.6%), eight offensive rebounds, 18 defensive rebounds (26 total), 11 turnoers, eight assists
St. Mary’s, Remsen: 19-44 FG (43.2%), 8-18 3P (44.4%), 13-18 FT (72.2%), 11 offensive rebounds, 18 defensive rebounds (29 total), 12 turnovers, 12 assists
Quarterfinal No. 2: No. 1 North Linn 54, No. 8 Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto 49
The second quarterfinal of the day was played at eighth seed Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto’s pace, but top seed North Linn overcame that and pulled out a 54-49 victory to advance to Thursday morning’s semifinals, where they will face Gladbrook-Reinbeck.
Using a 3-2 zone that slowed down North Linn’s high powered attack, the Rams stuck around for much of the game, leading for a good chunk of the third quarter. An early fourth quarter from North Linn gave them some control, and they never relinquished the lead after the 6:13 mark of the fourth quarter. Their free throw shooting, tops in the 1A field at 73.0% as a team, proved to be a major asset, as they went 17-22 at the line to ice away the win.
North Linn (26-0) was led by Jake Hilmer, who battled foul trouble all afternoon but still finished with 18 points, seven assists and five steals. Ryan Miller added 12 for the Lynx, who shot a season low 39.5% from the floor. The Lynx forced 19 turnovers in the win.
Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto ends their season with an 18-8 record. The Rams had three in double figures, led by Colby Seuntjens and Juan Delagarza, each with 11 points. Connor Beeck added 10 in the loss. Suentjens and Beeck will both be back for MV-A-O next season, giving them a solid base to build off of.
MVP: Jake Hilmer (North Linn) — 18 points (5-10 FG, 8-10 FT), seven assists, five steals
The talented sophomore point guard was the best player on the floor, battling foul trouble and still finishing with 18 points and seven assists. He was able to get to the rim whenever he wanted early on, using his quickness and ball handling to get into the paint and finish or facilitate.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto | 9 | 10 | 12 | 18 | 49 |
North Linn | 9 | 11 | 12 | 22 | 54 |
Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto: Colby Seuntjens 11, Juan Delagarza 11, Connor Beeck 10, Brady Gothier 8, Calvin Ferris 3, Ely Fundermann 3, Adam Ehlers 3
North Linn: Jake Hilmer 18, Ryan Miller 12, David Seber 9, Trevor Boge 5, Adam Waskow 4, Carter Johnson 4, Bradley Pflughaupt 2
Team stats
Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto: 15-35 FG (42.9%), 6-17 3P (35.3%), 13-21 FT (61.9%), nine offensive rebounds, 21 defensive rebounds (30 total), 19 turnovers, nine assists
North Linn: 17-43 FG (39.5%), 3-17 3P (17.6%), 17-22 FT (77.3%), seven offensive rebounds, 16 defensive rebounds (23 total), 10 turnovers, nine assists
Quarterfinal No. 1: No. 4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 53, No. 5 Lynnville-Sully 50
Experience proved to be crucial in Monday morning’s quarterfinal matchup between fourth seeded Gladbrook-Reinbeck and fifth seed Lynnville-Sully. Gladbrook-Reinbeck, a team that is making its third straight state tournament appearance prevailed, holding off the Hawks, 53-50, to advance to Thursday morning’s semifinal, where they’ll take on the winner of the North Linn vs. Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto contest.
In control for about 95% of the game, Gladbrook-Reinbeck capitalized on 18 Lynnville-Sully turnovers to overcome a 44-22 disadvantage on the glass.
The Rebels took a 24-22 lead into the locker rooms, then used a 9-2 run to open up a nine-point lead midway through the third quarter. A 7-0 Lynnville-Sully run followed, right when it looked like they were on the verge of getting blown out. They trailed 35-31 at the end of three periods.
After the teams traded buckets for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, a Tanner Foster 3 with 4:51 to play gave Lynnville-Sully their first lead of the contest, 38-37. The teams traded buckets, then the Rebels clamped down and opened a six-point lead back up to hold off the Hawks.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck (25-2) was led by Joe Smoldt, who scored a game-high 29 points, adding to what has been a sterling state tournament career. Caden Kickbush added 12 points for the Rebels, including going 4-4 from the line in the final 20 seconds to secure the win.
Lynnville-Sully ends the season with a 24-2 record. The Hawks were led by junior guard Brevin Hansen, who had 15 points. Jesse Van Wyk, another junior, added 13 points and 12 rebounds. The top four scorers will be back next year, so expect to hear more from Lynnville-Sully next year.
MVP: Joe Smoldt (Gladbrook-Reinbeck) — 29 points (11-25 FG, 4-5 FT), four rebounds, four assists
The smooth senior scoring guard had another big game at the state tournament for Gladbrook-Reinbeck. He scored a game-high 29 points, getting off to a quick start by scoring their first seven points of the game. He slowed down a bit in the second half after scoring 17 first half points, but his four-point spurt midway through the fourth quarter helped the Rebels open some breathing room back up.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Lynnville-Sully | 9 | 13 | 9 | 19 | 50 |
Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 12 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 53 |
Lynnville-Sully: Brevin Hansen 15, Jesse Van Wyk 13, Tanner Foster 9, Rylan James 7, Tyler Van Zante 6
Gladbrook-Reinbeck: Joe Smoldt 29, Caden Kickbush 12, Walker Thede 5, Matt Roeding 2, Thomas Mussig 2, Mason Skovgard 2, Tyler Pierce 1
Team stats
Lynnville-Sully: 20-51 FG (39.2%), 4-20 3P (20.0%), 6-13 FT (46.2%), 19 offensive rebounds, 25 defensive rebounds (44 total), 18 turnovers, seven assists
Gladbrook-Reinbeck: 19-47 FG (40.4%), 4-14 3P (28.6%), 11-16 FT (68.8%), five offensive rebounds, 17 defensive rebounds (22 total), seven turnovers, seven assists