Waterloo West wins wild opener with late run

DES MOINES -- Haley Puk waved her arms and screamed at the crowd as if she had just delivered a knockout blow.

The Waterloo West senior had just capped a 12-1 third-quarter run with a drive for a layup, a steal off the inbounds pass, and another basket in the span of five seconds. It put the Wahawks up seven on Des Moines East in a state quarterfinal game that had been back-and-forth all first half.

The flurry felt pretty decisive.

"And then they came back and I was like, 'All right, got a little too excited there,'" Puk said after West (22-2) beat the Scarlets, 69-57, in the wildest game of the tournament so far.

Puk's four-point outburst didn't end the game's momentum swings.

Des Moines East (20-4) called timeout, and then promptly scored the quarter's final 11 points to recapture the lead. Waterloo West followed with a 17-2 sprint to start the fourth to finally put the game away.

"Our kids really answered the call," Wahawks Coach Tony Pappas said. "We got down and the next thing I know, boom, we're right back up ... We've been a really strong fourth-quarter team. The kids really dug down, and they've been making big plays in the fourth quarter all year long."

Puk said tough comeback wins against Ames and Ankeny Centennial in the regional tournament had West prepared for a close one.

"We've been there before," she said. "I just had so much confidence. I knew we had the potential to come back and win. We hit some big shots."

The Wahawks had three starters averaging double-figures in scoring entering the game. They all made huge plays in the fourth as West pulled away. Forward Kate Letkewicz opened the quarter with two jumpers to tie the game. Center Blaire Thomas drove for a layup, followed by another Letkewicz bucket. A minute later, Puk hit a corner three-pointer and then stole a pass for a breakaway layup.

Puk finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Letkewicz scored 12 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter. And Thomas added 16.

"It's really awesome when all of us are making shots and contributing," Letkewicz said. "It makes us tough to guard."

The win moved the Wahawks into the semifinals, where they'll face defending champion Southeast Polk. It was extra sweet after Des Moines East knocked them off in last year's regional final.

"I've thought about that a lot. That was the motivation for all our intense practices this year, was how that game ended our season," Letkewicz said. "And they had a big run at the end of that game, so it would only make sense for us to have one today."