Cedar Falls turns back Prairie, 45-35, in a 5A girls’ basketball regional final

CEDAR FALLS — You could argue, with some validity, that the most valuable player didn’t score a point.

Grace Hannam anchored the back of Cedar Falls’ smothering defense, and the seventh-ranked Tigers turned back No. 11 Cedar Rapids Prairie, 45-35, in a Class 5A girls’ basketball regional final Tuesday night at Cedar Falls High School.

“We know we have Grace back there, and she’s a blocking machine,” Grace Knutson said.

Hannam swatted six shots and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Cedar Falls (22-1) will take a 20-game winning streak to the state tournament.

The Tigers will face No. 2 Davenport North (22-2) in a 5A quarterfinal at 1:30 Monday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines.

“I’m super thankful right now,” said Knutson, a Drake University signee who shook off a rough start to lead all scorers with 16 points. “We came up short last year, but tonight we got it done.”

They got it done with defense.

Clean looks were hard to come by for the Hawks, who finished 16-5. Converted baskets, even harder. They made 10 shots in 43 attempts (23.3 percent).

“Shots weren’t falling. We couldn’t get to the basket,” Prairie freshman KeaOnna Worley said. “This season was really fun. I’m sad to see it end like this.”

Prairie was undone by a first-half scoreless streak of 9 minutes, 8 seconds, and a third-quarter drought of 4:39.

In all, the Hawks managed just four points in a 16-minute span that allowed Cedar Falls to turn an 8-6 deficit into a 25-12 lead.

“They made everything tough,” Prairie Coach Kenyon Murray said. “We wanted to break down the defense, make them collapse, and kick it out.”

Worley’s short baseline shot brought the Hawks within 32-28 with 5:50 left, but Cedar Falls’ Gabie Hanks scored the next seven points to stymie the comeback bid.

Knutson scored her 16 points despite 5-of-21 shooting from the floor. Karis Finley added 11 points, Hanks 10.

Worley led Prairie with 13 points. McKenna Murray and Ryann Decker added five apiece.

It has been long speculated that Coach Murray would lead the Hawks for two seasons, then step aside.

This was his second season, and he was non-committal about his future Tuesday night.

“I’m going to meet with (outgoing athletics director) Rocky Bennett and (incoming AD) Andrew Davis, and we’ll figure it out,” Murray said. “The last two years, I’m excited with how we’ve built the program.

“The cupboard is pretty full.”

Cedar Falls 45, Cedar Rapids Prairie 35

Class 5A Regional Final, at Cedar Falls

C.R. PRAIRIE (35): Nevaeh Diaz-Doolin 0-2 1-2 1, KeaOnna Worley 4-8 3-4 13, Brynlie Hadenfeldt 1-9 0-0 2, Emily Larsen 1-10 0-0 3, McKenna Murray 1-3 2-4 5, Ryann Decker 1-3 2-2 5, Asia Beale 0-3 1-4 1, DeLanee Seay 1-4 0-0 0-0 2, Catie Reittinger 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 10-43 9-16 35.

CEDAR FALLS (45): Gabie Hanks 3-8 2-2 10, Grace Knutson 5-21 4-6 16, Karis Finley 4-8 2-7 11, Aniah Burks 2-5 0-0 4, Grace Hannam 0-3 0-4 0, Sophie Stanic 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 16-49 8-19 45.

C.R. Prairie 8 2 9 16 — 35

Cedar Falls 9 6 13 17 — 45

3-point goals: Prairie 6-23 (Worley 2-3, Hadenfeldt 0-4, Larsen 1-7, Murray 1-3, Decker 1-2, Beale 0-1, Seay 0-2, Reittinger 1-1), Cedar Falls 5-19 (Hanks 2-7, Knutson 2-7, Finley 1-3, Stanic 0-1). Team fouls: Prairie 20, Cedar Falls 16. Fouled out: Decker. Rebounds: Prairie 40 (Hadenfeldt, Beale 7), Cedar Falls 34 (Hannam 11). Assists: Prairie 6 (Worley, Hadenfeldt, Beale 2), Cedar Falls 6 (Hanks, Finley 2). Steals: Prairie 3 (Beale 2), Cedar Falls 7 (Hanks, Finley 2). Turnovers: Prairie 12, Cedar Falls 4.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com