Boys’ basketball notebook: Batman and Robin leading Decorah to another great season

CEDAR RAPIDS - When you are part of a conference with only five schools, it’s difficult to put together a basketball schedule. Especially as a Class 3A school.

So Decorah’s boys’ basketball team has had some interesting opponents this season.

It has played Western Dubuque and Dubuque Hempstead, with a matchup Saturday night against Dubuque Wahlert. It has hosted Cedar Rapids Prairie and played Monday night at Cedar Rapids Washington.

It went to Mason City to play Spencer earlier this month and goes to Chatfield, Minn., this week and Des Moines a couple days after that for a game against Winterset. Then there was that beauty of a trip a week and a half ago to Council Bluffs.

Yes, Council Bluffs, going from extreme Northeast Iowa to extreme Southwest Iowa. The Vikings took part in a special Martin Luther King Day tournament, beating Sergeant Bluff Luton.

Hey, you bus five hours, you better win, right?

“It’s far travel, but I think all the guys like it,” said Decorah senior guard Zach Driscoll. “We get to spend time with each other, we get to bond together.”

“It’s good to take on all areas of the state a little bit,” Decorah Coach Jon Carlson said. “To play different teams from different conferences, play against different styles.”

Decorah takes a 13-1 record and No. 2 ranking in Class 3A going into its Northeast Iowa Conference game Friday night at Waukon. Phew, a short trip.

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The Vikings lost to eventual champion Davenport Assumption in the semifinals of last year’s state tournament but are backing up expertly what they did last season. It’s been primarily because of the dymanic duo of Driscoll and Cael LaFrentz.

Or as Carlson calls them, Batman and Robin.

Driscoll averages 20.6 points and 8.1 assists, becoming a consistent scorer after being more of a complimentary player last season. He was a scorer at MFL/MarMac, his previous school, before open enrolling at Decorah last school year.

LaFrentz is a 6-foot-10 junior center and son of Decorah assistant coach and former NBA player Raef LaFrentz. He is one of the top scorers in the state at 29.9 points per game, shooting 65 percent from the field, and also averaging 11.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots per game.

“His improvement from last year to this year is great,” Carlson said. “But he’s still working on stuff.”

The coach mentioned the next step in LaFrentz’s development is becoming more than just a strictly back-to-the-basket player. Misssouri Valley Conference schools are showing some interest, with Carlson saying Belmont traveled up to Decorah to observe a practice while it was in the state to play MVC games against Northern Iowa and Drake.

Noah Milburn (9.1 ppg) is a 6-5 junior forward that gives Decorah another inside presence. Carlson said it’s important for his team to find another shooter to take some of the pressure off LaFrentz and complement Driscoll.

“Me and Cael kind of get all the hype around us, but really what keeps our team together are the other guys,” Driscoll said. “They’re doing all the little small things. They’re getting offensive rebounds, they’re setting the hard screens to get me and Cael open. Without them, we wouldn’t be what we are. They play a really big part in what we’re doing.”

Around the hoop

– Just call him Caiden Buckets. Alburnett junior guard Caiden Bueckers set a school record in a win Tuesday night over Central City by making nine 3-point shots. Bueckers was 9 of 18 from beyond the arc and scored 29 points in the 78-54 victory.

– North Linn senior guard Mason Bechen went over the 1,500-point mark for his career in his team’s 79-46 win Tuesday night over East Buchanan. Bechen had 31 points in the game and is averaging 29.6 this season, which ranks fourth in the state behind LaFrentz, West Burlington’s Mason Watkins (30.9) and Clinton Prince of Peace’s Hakeal Powell (32.1).

– A 65-49 win Tuesday night over Sumner-Fredericksburg clinched the North Iowa Cedar League East Division championship for LaPorte City Union. It’s the school’s first conference title since 2008-09.

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