Class 1A-2A boys’ basketball district final roundup

CEDAR RAPIDS - Vindication. Validation.

But no satisfaction. Not yet.

“That’s a great way to put it,” North Fayette Valley head boys’ basketball coach Matt Krambeer said.

His TigerHawks went through the regular season undefeated, the first time in school history, but never have been ranked by the Iowa High School Athletic Association and weren’t even a top seed in their district.

The feeling of not being given full due has permeated this team, its coaches and supporters. And perhaps fueled NFV to a massive, 66-52, win over ninth-ranked Aplington-Parkersburg in a Class 2A district final Tuesday night at Waterloo East.

NFV (23-0) is a win away from qualifying for the state tournament for the first time. West Union North High School made it in 1963, well before North Fayette and Valley CEW merged.

The substate final opponent is unranked and even more unheralded Jesup (15-9). The J-Hawks upset No. 8 Cascade, 69-61, in their district final after upsetting second-seeded MFL MarMac in a district semifinal.

“We knew we belonged,” Krambeer said. “But we know the job isn’t finished. Especially after last year, losing to Hudson. We might be favored, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

North Fayette Valley led a lot of the game against Aplington-Parkersburg (20-3), but never by much. The TigerHawks took a two-point advantage to the fourth quarter and extended it.

Star forward Cael Reichter finished with 17 points and 19 rebounds, but Krambeer pointed to his five assists as just as pivotal. Senior center Decklyn Hein led NFV with 20 points, making 10 of 12 field-goal attempts.

“He was patient with his post moves,” Krambeer said. “The best part about having so many seniors (including all five starters) is that they don’t get rattled. We hang our hat on defense, and we played really good defense.”

Jackson Lieurance finished his impeccable career with 38 points for Cascade, adding to his school-record total, but that wasn’t enough to overcome a Jesup team that rebuilt (or reloaded) after the graduation loss of its all-time leading scorer, Jack Miller, who now plays at Upper Iowa University. Saturday night’s game is slated for 8 p.m., the back half of a double-header at Wartburg College in Waverly.

Seven River Valley Conference teams played in district finals Tuesday night, but only one came out victorious. That was Northeast Goose Lake, which beat fellow RVC school Monticello for the third time this season, 64-56.

The Rebels (18-5) rallied from nine points down at halftime and three down after three quarters. They play No. 8 Grundy Center (21-2) in the first game of the twin-bill at Wartburg (6 p.m.).

Grundy beat Iowa City Regina in a district final, 61-44.

Mason Watkins scored 29 points to rally West Burlington past Mid-Prairie, 71-63, in overtime in their district final. Watkins has signed to play Division I college basketball at North Florida.

LaPorte City Union continued its Cinderella postseason run, knocking off Denver, 62-50. That turned around a five-point loss from the regular season.

The Knights (16-9) play a substate final Saturday afternoon at 5 against second-ranked Carroll Kuemper (22-1), the back end of a double-header at Drake University in Des Moines.

In Class 1A, Mason Bechen scored 24 points, Cole Griffith 14 and Drew Ries 11 as eighth-ranked North Linn beat Hillcrest Academy, 67-43. The Lynx built a double-digit first-half lead and extended it from 13 to 19 points in the third quarter, despite Bechen (who set the school’s single-season points record this season) netting just two.

North Linn (22-2) plays Burlington Notre Dame (19-4) in a Saturday night substate final at Iowa City High. The Lynx are vying for their ninth consecutive state tournament qualification.

Seth Ours led Hillcrest Academy (21-4) with 11 point.

“Later in the season, some of our players have stepped up,” said Bechen, who came in averaging 30.7 points per game. “These past couple of games, we knew teams were going to try different things, like faceguarding me and coming and double-teaming me. We practiced on what happens if a double team comes after me. I have confidence in my teammates that they can go score, and that I don’t need to go out there and score 30 every single night.”

It was a heartbreaking ending for Montezuma, which lost an eight-point lead after three quarters in falling to North Mahaska, 66-57. The Warhawks (21-3) outscored their South Iowa Cedar League rival in the fourth quarter, 28-11, getting 19 points from Asher DeBoef.

Brady Boulton ended a great junior season with 30 points for Montezuma (20-4), which suffered three of its four losses this season to NM.

Maquoketa Valley and Don Bosco played a 1A district final Wednesday night at Independence. The game was delayed for a day after the death of a Don Bosco student in an automobile accident Tuesday morning.

Comments: jeff.johnson@thegazette.com