STATE TOURNAMENT: Class 1A Recaps
Championship: No. 7 South O’Brien 54, No. 8 Council Bluffs, St. Albert 43
With 3:07 left and South O’Brien trailing 43-42, Coach Kiley Yates drew something up in the huddle during the media timeout. The result? A Peyton Brasser corner 3-pointer. The sophomore reserve, who averages just five points a game, canned the triple, giving the Wolverines a 45-43 lead. They wouldn’t relinquish it the rest of the way, ultimately closing the game on a 15-0 run to take home the school’s first state championship.
A game that went back-and-forth for the entire first half, it looked as though St. Albert may have started to run away with the game in the third quarter, opening up a nine-point lead, 35-26, with 2:20 left in the quarter. South O’Brien was able to close within 35-30 heading into the fourth.
St. Albert held a 43-39 lead with 5:33 to play. They didn’t score the rest of the way. A combination of South O’Brien’s vaunted 2-3 zone causing turnovers, and the Falcons just going cold at the wrong time, and we’ve got our 15-0 Wolverine run to end the game. Boom. State champions.
South O’Brien was led by Damon Struve, who scored 13 points. Kyle Paulsen added 11 and Peyton Brasser had nine points, including the three biggest of the game.
Council Bluffs, St. Albert was led by Travis Miller, who earned a spot on the all-tournament team with his 16 points. His sharpshooting was stellar throughout the week. He was the only Falcon in double figures.
Scoring
South O’Brien | 12 | 12 | 6 | 24 = 54
C.B. St. Albert | 12 | 15 | 8 | 8 = 43
Individual scoring
South O’Brien: Damon Struve 13, Kyle Paulsen 11, Peyton Brasser 9, Brian Haden 8, Cody Johanson 5, Cameron Maxwell 4, Karter Rohrbaugh 4
C.B. St. Albert: Travis Miller 16, Jake Carley 7, Tyler Blaha 7, Matt Fagan 7, Joe Liston 2
Game MVP: Peyton Brasser, South O’Brien (2018) — 9 points (3-5 FG, 2-4 3P, 1-3 FT)
A five-point a game scorer throughout the season, Brasser delivered the three most important points of his career with a corner 3 out of the timeout that gave South O’Brien a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He followed it up with a big bucket-and-one, scoring five points in a 46-second span.
Class 1A Media All-Tournament Team
Matt Fagan, Council Bluffs, St. Albert
Cameron Maxwell, South O’Brien
Connor Sonius, West Hancock
Damon Struve, South O’Brien
Travis Miller, Council Bluffs, St. Albert
Joe Smoldt, Gladbrook-Reinbeck (Captain)
Semifinal No. 2: No. 7 South O’Brien 65, No. 3 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 56
The balanced effort of South O’Brien was able to overcome another dazzling performance from Gladbrook-Reinbeck star Joe Smoldt on Thursday afternoon, earning themselves a trip to the Class 1A state championship game with a 65-56 win.
The Wolverines were in control for much of the game, scoring in the paint seemingly at will. They finished with 26 points in the paint, with 20 of those coming in the first half. Star guard Damon Struve helped pace an attack that was very patient, methodical at times. The Wolverines shot 56.8% from the floor in the win and also converted 18 of their 25 free throw attempts (72%).
Their tough 2-3 zone, which Struve heads, proved to be too much for the Rebels to overcome, as Gladbrook-Reinbeck shot just 25.9% from the arc (7-27) and 34% from the floor (17-50).
South O’Brien advances to Friday night’s championship game, where they’ll take on Council Bluffs, St. Albert, in a western Iowa showdown. The Wolverines were led by Damon Struve, with 20 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Kyle Paulsen added 15 and Cameron Maxwell had 11 in the win.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck will face West Hancock on Friday morning in the third place game. They were led by Joe Smoldt, who followed up his 35-point quarterfinal with a 33-point game here. Tyler Pierce chipped in eight for the Rebels.
Scoring
Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 11 | 17 | 11 | 17 = 56
South O’Brien | 15 | 18 | 13 | 19 = 65
Individual scoring
Gladbrook-Reinbeck: Joe Smoldt 33, Tyler Pierce 8, Matt Roeding 6, Tyler Eiffler 6, Josh Cooley 3
South O’Brien: Damon Struve 20, Kyle Paulsen 15, Cameron Maxwell 11, Cody Johanson 6, Brian Haden 6, Karter Rohrbaugh 4, Peyton Brasser 3
Game MVP: Damon Struve, South O’Brien (2016) — 20 points (7-14 FG, 1-6 3P, 5-6 FT), 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals
Struve helped control the game for the Wolverines from pretty much start-to-finish. The, athletic guard was in constant attack mode, getting himself to the rim and finishing or setting up his teammates, finishing with seven assists. He’s a force at the top of the Wolverines’ 2-3 zone, and is extremely active on the glass. The school’s all-time leader in a number of categories, he showed why in this game, carrying his squad to a championship game appearance while stuffing the stat sheet.
Semifinal No. 1: No. 8 Council Bluffs, St. Albert 70, No. 4 West Hancock 52
Eighth seeded Council Bluffs, St. Albert continued their march through the state tournament on Thursday morning, controlling their semifinal game against West Hancock from start to finish en route to a 70-52 win.
St. Albert never trailed in the game, jumping out to a quick 8-0 lead and never looking back, despite a furious effort from West Hancock late in the second quarter to cut the Falcon lead down to five heading into the locker rooms.
After going back-and-forth for the entire third quarter, St. Albert finally gained some distance early in the fourth, going on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 12. West Hancock never got closer than eight after that.
St. Albert advances to the championship game for the first time since 1994, looking for the first title since 1989. They were led by Travis Miller, who scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win. Tyler Blaha and Matt Fagan each added 12 points for the Falcons, who dominated the glass to the tune of a 44-26 rebounding edge. They’ll face the winner of the Gladbrook-Reinbeck vs. South O’Brien game on Friday night.
Connor Sonius led West Hancock with a near triple-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Seth Weiland added 15 points and Nate Paulus had 13 in the loss. The Eagles will face the loser of the Gladbrook-Reinbeck vs. South O’Brien game in the third place game on Friday morning.
Scoring
West Hancock | 10 | 19 | 14 | 9 = 52
C.B. St. Albert | 18 | 16 | 14 | 22 = 70
Individual scoring
West Hancock: Connor Sonius 17, Seth Weiland 15, Nate Paulus 13, Dylan Eckels 4, Ben Eisenman 3
C.B. St. Albert: Travis Miller 24, Tyler Blaha 12, Matt Fagan 12, Kyle Barnes 8, Drew Carlson 7, Jake Carley 5, Joe Liston 2
Game MVP: Travis Miller, Council Bluffs, St. Albert (2016) — 24 points (7-17 FG, 5-13 3P, 5-8 FT), 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
Miller was fantastic early, knocking down his first two 3-point attempts en route to eight first half points. He routinely hit big shots in the second half as West Hancock was making their runs, stemming the tide. The Falcons’ leading scorer during the regular season, he showed why in this game, with a smooth, quick stroke from the perimeter. He’s also an active participant on the glass, and chipped in four assists and three steals for good measure.
Quarterfinal No. 4: No. 3 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 67, No. 6 Jesup 48
We said it in our 1A tournament preview, and it rang true in the second half of the final Class 1A quarterfinal on Monday afternoon – Joe Smoldt is the best player in the field, and as such, you can never count Gladbrook-Reinbeck out. The Rebels used a huge performance from their star to advance to the semifinals with a 67-48 win over a very good Jesup team.
Trailing by seven just before halftime, Smoldt hit a pull-up 3 from the top of the key to send Gladbrook-Reinbeck to the locker room down only four. It gave him eight points in the half, but it was just a sign of things to come.
Smoldt came out firing in the second half, scoring 15 points in the third quarter to help turn the four-point deficit into an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The fourth was much of the same, as he added another 12 points to his total, giving him a career-high 35 points on the night.
Defending champion Gladbrook-Reinbeck advances to Thursday afternoon’s semifinal, where they’ll face South O’Brien, with tip-off set for 12:15 p.m. The Rebels were led by Smoldt’s 35 points (9-19 FG, 5-7 3P, 12-13 FT). He was joined in double figures by Tyler Eiffler, who had 11, and Josh Cooley with 10 points.
Jesup ends their season with a 22-4 record. The J-Hawks were led by a pair of juniors, guard Ethan Wyant, with 18 points, and forward Tyler Lienau with 14. Rodney Ciesielski added 11 points for Jesup. The J-Hawks shot just 39.2% from the floor in the loss, a far cry from the 50% they shot during the season.
Scoring
Jesup | 11 | 14 | 9 | 14 = 48
Gladbrook-Reinbeck | 12 | 9 | 24 | 22 = 67
Individual scoring
Jesup: Ethan Wyant 18, Tyler Lienau 14, Rodney Ciesielski 11, Kyle DeBerg 3, Tyler Brown 2
Gladbrook-Reinbeck: Joe Smoldt 35, Tyler Eiffler 11, Josh Cooley 10, Matt Roeding 9, Tyler Pierce 2
Game MVP: Joe Smoldt, Gladbrook-Reinbeck (2017) — 35 points (9-19 FG, 5-7 3P, 12-13 FT)
What more needs to be said? Smoldt set a new career-high with 35 points, taking over the game after halftime, scoring 27 second half points. Our top ranked player in Class 1A, he proved himself worthy of such recognition, dominating a game that the Rebels were trailing at halftime. A remarkable shooter off the dribble, he displayed a sensational pull-up game and the ability to score at all three levels. An incredible performance for last year’s 1A tournament MVP, sending the Rebels back into the semifinals.
Quarterfinal No. 3: No. 7 South O’Brien 46, No. 2 Grand View Christian 32
Grand View Christian, the state’s highest scoring team, struggled to ever get the ball rolling against South O’Brien’s tough 2-3 zone on Monday afternoon, falling 46-32 in a quarterfinal matchup.
Coming in averaging 80.6 points a game, Grand View Christian scored single digits in each of the final three quarters in the loss. The Thunder came in as the state’s most 3-point reliant team, and they didn’t bode well in the bigger arena and against the length of the Wolverines’ zone. A 41.5% three-point shooting team during the season, they shot just 10-35 (28.6%) from the arc in this contest.
South O’Brien used an efficient, at times methodical, approach on offense, allowing their defensive effort to do the heavy lifting. The Wolverines scored 28 points in the paint and shot 48.6% from the floor in the win. They were led by Cameron Maxwell, who had 19 points. Damon Struve added 10. South O’Brien advances to the semifinals on Thursday afternoon, where they’ll meet the winner of the Gladbrook-Reinbeck vs. Jesup game. That semifinal will be played at 12:15 p.m.
Grand View Christian bows out at 25-2. No players scored in double figures for the Thunder, who were led by Noah Burt and Stephen Glenn, each with nine points.
Scoring
South O’Brien | 11 | 7 | 16 | 12 = 46
Grand View Christian | 12 | 3 | 8 | 9 = 32
Individual scoring
South O’Brien: Cameron Maxwell 19, Damon Struve 10, Kyle Paulsen 7, Cody Johanson 6, Brian Haden 2, Carson Louscher 2
Grand View Christian: Stephen Glenn 9, Noah Burt 9, Grant DeMeulenaere 6, Tyler Crabb 3, Dylan Baker 3, Nathan Long 2
Game MVP: Cameron Maxwell, South O’Brien (2017) — 19 points (7-11 FG), 6 rebounds
The anchor for South O’Brien’s methodical attack, Maxwell made a number of plays from the free-throw line and in, routinely putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim for easy looks. He was also great on the offensive glass, pulling down five offensive rebounds, part of South O’Brien’s 12-3 edge in second chance points.
Quarterfinal No. 2: No. 8 Council Bluffs, St. Albert 69, No. 1 Danville 46
No. 8 seed Council Bluffs, St. Albert looked far from a typical 8th seeded team in a dominating win on Monday afternoon over top-seeded Danville, 69-46.
Using a big advantage in the paint, the Falcons cruised into the semifinals behind a balanced offensive attack and dominant defense. The only lead that Danville held throughout the contest came from the 6:59 to 6:16 marks of the first quarter.
St. Albert outscored Danville 38-22 in the paint, held a 35-24 rebounding advantage and converted 14 second chance points in the win.
The Falcons were led by sophomore big man Matt Fagan, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jake Carley added 14 points and leading scorer Travis Miller had 10. The Falcons had five players score at least eight points in the win. They advance to Thursday morning’s semifinals, where they’ll play No. 4 seed West Hancock, an earlier winner.
Danville ends their season with a 24-2 record. Kole Perkins was the only player in double figures, finishing with 17 points. The Bears, one of the state’s highest scoring teams, were held to their second lowest scoring output of the season and shot just 37.5% from the floor in the loss.
Scoring
St. Albert | 19 | 11 | 17 | 22 = 69
Danville | 16 | 7 | 16 | 7 = 46
Individual scoring
St. Albert: Matt Fagan 19, Jake Carley 14, Travis Miller 10, Tyler Blaha 9, Joe Liston 8, Danny Koch 4, Drew Carlson 2, Kyle Barnes 2, Brandon Williams 1
Danville: Kole Perkins 17, Kolton Jackson 9, Kaleb Haeffner 6, Mason Lorber 4, Dillon Sanchez 4, Mitch Martin 4, Bryton Rice 1, Bryce Carr 1
Game MVP: Matt Fagan, Council Bluffs, St. Albert (2018) — 19 points (8-11 FG), 11 rebounds
The sophomore big man was dominant for the Falcons, controlling the paint and finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He showed the ability to score in the paint with either hand, displaying good footwork and touch at the rim. He won his team a bunch of extra possessions with his work on the glass on both ends of the floor.
Quarterfinal No. 1: No. 4 West Hancock 67, No. 5 IKM-Manning 51
West Hancock used a dominant run over the second and third quarters to blow open a game that was close after the first, en route to a 67-51 win over IKM-Manning to open up the state tournament on Monday morning.
IKM-Manning scored the first four points of the second quarter to take a 20-18 lead, but from there it was all West Hancock, going on a 37-13 run to take a commanding 55-33 lead into the final stanza.
West Hancock guard Connor Sonius had complete control in this contest, carving up the IKM-Manning zone throughout the majority of the game. He finished with 20 points for the Eagles, to go with seven rebounds and four assists. Dylan Eckels added 16 points (14 coming in the first half) and Nate Paulus added 15 for West Hancock (24-2). The Eagles advance to the semifinals, where they’ll face the winner of the Danville vs. Council Bluffs, St. Albert game, at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
IKM-Manning ends the season with a 22-3 record. The Wolves were led by Kyle Wagner, who had 15 points in the loss. Jared Vollstedt added 13.
Scoring
IKM-Manning | 16 | 8 | 9 | 18 = 51
West Hancock | 18 | 16 | 21 | 12 = 67
Individual scoring
IKM Manning: Kyle Wagner 15, Jared Vollstedt 13, Ben Wegner 9, Jon Brandt 6, Jared Johnson 4, Trevor Cast 3, Austin Dahlgren 1
West Hancock: Connor Sonius 20, Dylan Eckels 16, Nate Paulus 15, Seth Weiland 6, Colton Ruter 4, Lucas Weiland 3, Ben Eisenman 3
Game MVP: Connor Sonius, West Hancock (2016) — 20 points (7-10 FG, 3-6 3P), 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Sonius was in complete control of the game throughout the contest, leading West Hancock’s high-powered attack. There was a point in the fourth quarter where the offense went stagnant with him on the bench, showing that the Eagles can’t afford for him to get in foul trouble moving forward. He showed the ability to score from all three levels, is an active rebounder and defender, and runs his team through their offense with efficiency. After a poor showing in last year’s state tournament, today was all about Connor Sonius and crew. Dylan Eckels warrants some consideration here as well. His 14 first half points allowed West Hancock to jump out to a halftime lead before Sonius and Nate Paulus took over in the second half.