Patrick Wood – ESPN Des Moines Contributor

1A Championship – Springville 45 vs Turkey Valley 36

While Turkey Valley was no slouch, Springville was simply more prepared for the bright lights of Wells Fargo Arena. These two teams had met already once this season and Springville won that game as well but by 13 points. Springville forced Turkey Valley to the outside of the perimeter and cut off a great deal of passing lanes forcing Turkey Valley to dribble much more than they should have. The absence of the low post game was detrimental to Turkey Valley as well, they couldn’t get points in the paint and they couldn’t stop Springville from scoring in the paint. Offensively, Springville was fast and accurate, running the fast break to perfection. Rylee Menster was uncontainable and was far too fast for the Turkey Valley press or defenders.

• Springville, Mikayla Nachazel 15 points, 1 assists and 14 rebounds
• Turkey Valley, Shelby Reicks 13 points, 2 assists and 5 rebounds

2A Championship – Treynor 48 vs Western Christian 51

A controversial call sinks Treynor and gives Western Christian their third title in the last six years. With Western Christian only up two, Treynor guard Konnor Sudman appeared to have a great lane and drive to the basket but was cut off at the very last moment by Western Christian guard Janae Wynja. The Treynor bench went absolutely ballistic believing the call was a block but were immediately deflated when the hands of the referee pointed in the opposite direction. The 2A leader in points and rebounds Ashtyn Veerbreek had a less than stellar game. Veerbreek went 2-10 from the field and only scored five points in the title game and was still named the All-State team captain. Western Christian has had a very large amount of success recently and in this game, they were challenged more than ever before. The tempo of the game seemed to favor Treynor one second and then Western Christian the other. The guard play from Treynor kept the game close but when Western Christian dropped the ball down low, it was over.

• Western Christian, Erica Bousema 17 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds
• Treynor, Madelyn Deitchler 16 points, 3 assists and 8 rebounds

3A Championship – Pocahontas Area vs Sioux Center

Ellie Ruffridge and co. where more than on fire as they met Sioux Center in the state title game. After already securing the titles of the most points in history and most assists in history, Ruffridge was after one more and got another title to add to her extensive collection. Pocahontas Area sustained the scrappiness and aggressive style that got them to the title game last year and this year. They ran Sioux Center into the ground, getting rebounds and immediately sprinting the floor, setting up easy three-pointers for the Indians. Sioux Center had the most issue with setting up their post players and couldn’t get any kind of consistency down low. They also couldn’t seem to find the Indians in transition which helped the Pocahontas Area Indians nail 12 of 27three-pointerss for 44%.

• Pocahontas Area, Elli Ruffridge 22 points, 4 assists and 7 rebounds
• Sioux Center, Jessica Harald 9 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds

4A Championship – Marion 40 vs North Scott 52

Game tied at 39 with 17 seconds left

This one was a nail-biter for fans on both sides as the lead changed hands several times in the last few minutes of the game which ultimately lead it to overtime. This game was also the definition of a track meet. Both teams where fast in transition and the battle between both team’s sets of guards was truly fun to watch. The biggest issue both teams faced however, was inaccuracy when they went in for layups whether that be contested or not. Both teams struggled converting inside the paint but where immensely aggressive when they drove. The post play for both teams was nonexistence which forced both teams to attack and defend with their backcourt. Marion was extremely well-balanced when it came to scoring with every starter chipping in while North Scott relied heavily on Karli Rucker for their offense. In the end of this fast-paced, overtime thriller, ended with Marion just having too many turnovers and being limited to no field goals in overtime as North Scott pulled away with a few clutch baskets by Rucker.

• North Scott, Karli Rucker 24 points, 2 assists and 6 rebounds
• Marion, Mia Laube 11 points, 2 assists and 6 rebounds

5A Championship – West Des Moines Valley 71 vs Cedar Falls 59

Valley was just too talented for Cedar Falls on Saturday night. Valley played incredibly aggressive all night on both ends of the floor and out-worked the upstart team from Cedar Falls. The Valley defense held Cedar Falls to 34% shooting and 25% from the three-point line. Both teams had three players in double digits but Valley simply out-played Cedar Falls in all areas of the game. Valley forced Cedar Falls into a bad place when the press started to alter Cedar Falls game plan. Between having a hard time getting the ball across the half court line and making a wide arrange of errant passes, Cedar Falls fell into a hole quickly in the second quarter and could never dig themselves back out. Surprisngly enough with Valley’s athletic pedigree, this was the first state title that a Valley women’s team has won and they did it with an all-around great team effort.

• Valley, Zoe Young 21 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds
• Cedar Falls, Cynthia Wolf 18 points and 10 points