By RON MALY
I want to make a few things very clear:
1. Waukee High School had a tremendous girls' basketball team in this 2014-2015 season.
2. The Warriors finished with a 24-2 record,
3. The championship was further proof that Waukee is no longer the new kid on the block in central Iowa academically, athletically and in the arts. Indeed, the school has become a heavyweight that will be a powerhouse in the entire state in years to come.
It wasn't many years ago that Waukee--located a few miles west of West Des Moines--was simply a sleepy little place along University Avenue and Hickman Road where the speed limit dropped.
It now is a thriving suburban area filled with people who want their kids to enjoy the very best opportunities in their schools.
After all, Waukee is the fastest growing school district in Iowa.
The Warriors have certainly had Valley's number athletically in this school year.
Waukee's football team defeated the Tigers twice last fall--including a victory that sent the Warriors to the state football playoffs in Cedar Falls.
The Warriors kept Valley from advancing to this week's boys' basketball tournament by beating the Tigers in the the substate title game.
Then came Saturday's girls' basketball game, which continued Waukee's domination of Valley in games that count the most.
Those things said, it was too bad it couldn't have been a healthy Valley team that played the Warriors in the girls' championship game.
"I don't want to use this as any type of excuse," Valley coach Joe Sigrist told a post-tournament gathering of Tiger fans late last night in the Bill Coldiron Fieldhouse, "but we had four girls who were really sick today."
I asked Sigrist to expand on that while visiting with him several minutes later.
He told me Grace Vander Weide, Whitney Fuller, Hannah Fuller and Lexi Merritt were the players experiencing physical problems.
All were starters for a [pre-tournament] No. 1-ranked Valley team that finished the season with a 23-3 record.
Sigrist said Vander Weide, a senior who is headed to Missouri State on a basketball scholarship, spent most of Saturday at a hospital, receiving fluids intravenously to battle vomiting caused by stomach flu.
"But, again, I want to stress that I do not want to use any of that as an excuse for how we played," Sigrist said.
[UPDATE: Illnesses were still affecting Valley's players Sunday. Consequently, the team's season-ending banquet, which was scheduled to be held today, was delayed until Wednesday, from 6 to 8 p.m.]
Despite her sickness, Vander Weide led Valley with 20 points in Saturday night's game, and she was named to the 5-A all-tournament team.
Hannah Fuller, who scored 13 points, was also picked for the all-tournament squad.
But nothing was going to stop Waukee in the title game at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.
The Warriors trailed, 18-17, after one quarter, grabbed control of the game in the second period [surrendering only 4 points] and never gave Valley another chance.
Waukee scored the first eight points of the quarter, turned the offense over to 6-foot 1-inch junior Reilly Jacobson, put the clamps on Valley's offense and never looked back.
The Warriors turned the game into a rout in the last half. With 7 minutes 46 seconds to play, Waukee's lead was 17 points.
Waukee's game plan called for Jacobson, who finished with 24 points, to go inside, and she was constantly fed the ball for easy shots against a Valley defense that either couldn't or wouldn't adjust.
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| Valley is No. 1, say Joe Sigrist's sons, Grady and Drake |
Jacobson was successful on 10 of 14 field goal attempts, and led Waukee's 33-27 rebounding advantage with 12.
She was named captain of the 5-A all-tournament team, and the fact she will be back next season makes it evident that Waukee will be a favorite to win its second successive state championship.
Waukee's Ellie Cavanaugh had 10 assists, and fed Jacobson for most of her points. Cavanaugh was also named to the all-tournament squad.
The 10 assists were the most ever in class 5-A. The old record was nine by Ankeny's Madi Robson in 2013.
Waukee shot a brilliant 58.5 percent [an astounding 70.6 in the last half] from the field.
Valley, which experienced some inexplicable
shooting lapses in the tournament, made only 31.8 percent of its shots in the first half and 34.5 for the game.
You don't win championships that way.
The loss was Valley's third in a state tournament title game. The Tigers also finished second in 1965 and 1995.
Waukee 24-2
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
No. Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
12 Jacobson, Reilly.... * 10-14 1-2 3-6 1 11 12 5 24 1 3 0 0 28
14 Mataloni, Andie..... * 5-8 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 2 11 0 3 0 0 26
22 Littlefield, Carlie. * 3-7 0-2 5-8 3 2 5 3 11 2 5 0 2 28
24 Kollmorgen, Anna.... * 1-5 0-1 7-10 0 4 4 2 9 5 2 0 4 29
50 Cavanaugh, Ellie.... * 2-4 1-2 1-2 0 2 2 2 6 10 3 0 2 25
02 Deskin, Mollie...... 2-2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 6
04 Coleman, Kylie...... 1-1 1-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 1 13
10 Gray, Mary Kate..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
20 Corbett, Rebecca.... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+
30 Fogt, Kelli......... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
32 Miller, Macy........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
34 Earney, Callie...... 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
44 Kramer, Jessica..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
TEAM................ 2 5 7
Totals.............. 24-41 5-11 19-30 6 27 33 15 72 18 16 0 9 160
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-24 50.0% 2nd Half: 12-17 70.6% Game: 58.5% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-7 28.6% 2nd Half: 3-4 75.0% Game: 45.5% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 3-4 75.0% 2nd Half: 16-26 61.5% Game: 63.3% 6
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West Des Moines Valley 23-3
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
No. Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
11 Fuller, Whitney..... * 1-8 1-6 4-6 1 2 3 3 7 6 1 1 1 26
15 Vander Weide, Grace. * 7-19 3-7 3-3 2 7 9 4 20 1 6 0 1 29
21 Smith, Emily........ * 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 12
35 Fuller, Hannah...... * 4-13 4-7 1-3 2 2 4 5 13 1 2 0 1 31
43 Merritt, Lexi....... * 2-7 2-7 0-0 1 1 2 0 6 0 2 0 0 23
01 Carr, Casey......... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0+
03 Lodermeier, Leah.... 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
05 Loecke, Jadyn....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5
13 Feldt, Jackie....... 5-6 0-0 0-1 2 2 4 4 10 0 1 0 2 21
25 Feldt, Jamie........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
31 Hale, Kelcie........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
33 Carr, Courtney...... 0-1 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 3 2 1 1 0 1 7
53 Meeks, Alayna....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+
55 Ward, Mackenzie..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
TEAM................ 2 2
Totals.............. 19-55 10-28 10-15 11 16 27 22 58 9 15 1 7 160
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 7-22 31.8% 2nd Half: 12-33 36.4% Game: 34.5% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 5-10 50.0% 2nd Half: 5-18 27.8% Game: 35.7% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 3-4 75.0% 2nd Half: 7-11 63.6% Game: 66.7% 3
Officials: Dave Rittman, Robert Smith, Jr, Mark Royer
Technical fouls: Waukee-None. West Des Moines Valley-None.
Score by Periods 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Waukee........................ 17 12 21 22 - 72
West Des Moines Valley........ 18 4 13 23 - 58
Class 5A State Championship
Fouled Out: Valley: #35 H Fuller @ 1:23 (4th)
Waukee: #12 R Jacobson @ 1:05 (4th)
Points in the paint-WAUKEE 34,VALLEY 14. Points off turnovers-WAUKEE 14,VALLEY 13.
2nd chance points-WAUKEE 5,VALLEY 10. Fast break points-WAUKEE 8,VALLEY 0.
Bench points-WAUKEE 11,VALLEY 12. Score tied-4 times. Lead changed-10 times.
Last FG-WAUKEE 4th-04:22, VALLEY 4th-02:37.
Largest lead-WAUKEE by 17 4th-07:46, VALLEY by 4 1st-02:04.
Class 5-A All-Tournament Team
Ellie Cavanaugh, Waukee
Hannah Fuller, Valley
Kennedy Childers, Dowling
Dani Craig, Iowa City West
Grace Vander Weide, Valley
Reilly Jacobson, Waukee (captain)
Tournament Team Leaders SCORING OFFENSE G Pts Avg/G West Des Moines Valley..........3 180 60.0 Waukee........................ 3 175 58.3 Johnton....................... 1 52 52.0 Cedar Falls................... 1 47 47.0 Dowling Catholic.............. 2 90 45.0 Mason City.................... 1 42 42.0 Iowa City West................ 2 84 42.0 Southeast Polk................ 1 40 40.0 FIELD GOAL PCT FG ATT Pct Johnton....................... 20 41 .488 Waukee........................ 56 124 .452 Southeast Polk................ 15 36 .417 Dowling Catholic.............. 33 85 .388 West Des Moines Valley..........53 149 .356 Mason City.................... 17 48 .354 Cedar Falls................... 17 53 .321 Iowa City West................ 30 99 .303 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PCT 3FG ATT Pct Johnton....................... 6 13 .462 Waukee........................ 13 33 .394 Southeast Polk................ 5 14 .357 West Des Moines Valley..........17 60 .283 Cedar Falls................... 4 18 .222 Iowa City West................ 8 39 .205 Mason City.................... 5 25 .200 Dowling Catholic.............. 4 21 .190 FREE THROW PCT FT ATT Pct Cedar Falls................... 9 12 .750 West Des Moines Valley..........57 79 .722 Dowling Catholic.............. 20 28 .714 Waukee........................ 50 72 .694 Iowa City West................ 16 26 .615 Johnton....................... 6 10 .600 Southeast Polk................ 5 9 .556 Mason City.................... 3 7 .429 REBOUND AVERAGE G Reb Avg/G West Des Moines Valley..........3 104 34.7 Cedar Falls................... 1 34 34.0 Waukee........................ 3 97 32.3 Southeast Polk................ 1 32 32.0 Iowa City West................ 2 63 31.5 Mason City.................... 1 31 31.0 Dowling Catholic.............. 2 58 29.0 Johnton....................... 1 21 21.0 STEALS G No. S/G Waukee........................ 3 29 9.7 West Des Moines Valley..........3 27 9.0 Iowa City West................ 2 16 8.0 Dowling Catholic.............. 2 11 5.5 Southeast Polk................ 1 7 7.0 Cedar Falls................... 1 4 4.0 Johnton....................... 1 4 4.0 Mason City.................... 1 2 2.0 ASSISTS G No. A/G Waukee........................ 3 35 11.7 West Des Moines Valley..........3 25 8.3 Johnton....................... 1 14 14.0 Dowling Catholic.............. 2 11 5.5 Iowa City West................ 2 10 5.0 Southeast Polk................ 1 9 9.0 Mason City.................... 1 8 8.0 Cedar Falls................... 1 7 7.0 SCORING DEFENSE G Pts Avg/G Southeast Polk................ 1 43 43.0 Waukee........................ 3 137 45.7 Dowling Catholic.............. 2 94 47.0 Iowa City West................ 2 97 48.5 West Des Moines Valley..........3 155 51.7 Johnton....................... 1 58 58.0 Cedar Falls................... 1 61 61.0 Mason City.................... 1 65 65.0 FIELD GOAL PCT DEFENSE FG ATT Pct Waukee........................ 48 154 .312 Southeast Polk................ 15 45 .333 Iowa City West................ 28 78 .359 West Des Moines Valley..........56 143 .392 Mason City.................... 21 52 .404 Dowling Catholic.............. 33 81 .407 Cedar Falls................... 19 43 .442 Johnton....................... 21 39 .538 3-PT FLD GOAL PCT DEFENSE FG ATT Pct Southeast Polk................ 4 17 .235 West Des Moines Valley..........14 58 .241 Iowa City West................ 8 32 .250 Johnton....................... 2 8 .250 Waukee........................ 16 59 .271 Mason City.................... 4 14 .286 Dowling Catholic.............. 9 24 .375 Cedar Falls................... 5 11 .455 FREE THROW PCT DEFENSE FG ATT Pct West Des Moines Valley..........29 51 .569 Dowling Catholic.............. 19 28 .679 Iowa City West................ 33 48 .688 Johnton....................... 14 20 .700 Waukee........................ 25 35 .714 Cedar Falls................... 18 24 .750 Southeast Polk................ 9 12 .750 Mason City.................... 19 25 .760 REBOUND DEFENSE G Reb Avg/G Southeast Polk................ 1 25 25.0 Johnton....................... 1 25 25.0 Dowling Catholic.............. 2 54 27.0 Cedar Falls................... 1 31 31.0 Waukee........................ 3 94 31.3 West Des Moines Valley..........3 102 34.0 Iowa City West................ 2 72 36.0 Mason City.................... 1 37 37.0 BLOCKED SHOTS G No. Blk/G Dowling Catholic.............. 2 13 6.5 West Des Moines Valley..........3 8 2.7 Waukee........................ 3 7 2.3 Mason City.................... 1 4 4.0 Iowa City West................ 2 2 1.0 Johnton....................... 1 0 0.0 Southeast Polk................ 1 0 0.0 Cedar Falls................... 1 0 0.0
