Weekend Sports Wrap-Up March 12

Semifinal loss stings for Viking boys

Big things have come to the Decorah boys’ basketball team as they wrapped up the 2023-24 season in the state basketball semifinals Thursday.

Two years ago when the Vikings made it to state for the first time in 45 years, they got a taste of success and it continued this season as they returned to Wells Fargo Arena as the top seed in Class 3A with a 21-2 record. Decorah also earned a share of the Northeast Iowa Conference title at 9-1 with Waverly-Shell Rock and was ranked high throughout the season as the most successful team in school history.

Overtime

Decorah’s 66-42 win over Williamsburg Tuesday, March 5, was the program’s first-ever state tournament win advancing the Vikings into Thursday’s semifinal with Davenport Assumption.

From the get-go, fans of both teams could feel that the game would come down to the wire.

The Assumption Knights put up the first points off the game with senior Trey McCain answering the call with a jumper. Matthew Bockman gave the Vikes their only lead of the first period off a steal that he took to the hoop to make it 4-2. Cael LaFrentz added another short shot for a 6-5 advantage that later disap-

peared as the Knights put up seven unanswered points. Ben Bockman got Decorah back to within one with 21 ticks on the clock as the teams wrapped up the first quarter with a 9-8 Assumption lead.

It was nearly two minutes into the second quarter before any points were put on the board and it came in the form

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Ben Bockman raises the trophy after Thursday’s semifinal.

Driving by an Assumption player is Ben Bockman.

Passing the ball from the baseline is Zach Driscoll.

Andrew Rhodes goes up for a block attempt.

Matthew Bockman puts the ball off the glass for a layup.

There was a big crowd on hand for the Vikings at Thursday’s semifinal. (Driftless Multimedia photos by Becky Walz)

Trey McCain makes a move on a Knight defender.

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of a Noah Milburn layup.

The Knights got their offense kick-started by a pair of free throws that led to a 6-0 run and a 16-10 lead with 3:46 remaining in the half. Zach Driscoll cut the advantage in half with a three-pointer seconds later with a trey by M. Bockman putting Decorah back within two, 1816. At the end of the half, Assumption held a 23-19 advantage.

Back-to-back baskets by LaFrentz and Kaiden Quandahl evened up the score in the first minute of the third period. LaFrentz put Decorah on top 2523 with a layup, only to see Assumption respond with one of its own. The two squads traded one-point leads throughout the final two minutes of the period with the Knights hitting a three at the buzzer to pull ahead 3432.

Tied 40-40 with 3:07 remaining in regulation McCain pulled Decorah ahead with a shot from beyond the arch with B. Bockman adding another for a 46-42 lead with 2:21 left. Following a defensive stop and the ball, a pair of late Viking turnovers gave Assumption the chance to tie the game 46-46 on a free throw and trey with 1:08 to play. The Vikes got the last shot off but it fell short of the net, leaving the two teams to play

an extra four minutes. Then nothing went Decorah’s way as the Knights outscored the Vikings 15-7 to advance to the championship game.

Final thoughts

“Obviously it didn’t end the way we wanted it to but in the end, only one team that is happy at the end of the year. These seniors have nothing to hang their heads about after leading us to the state semifinals and us having a chance to win the ball game. The defensive pressure they gave us in overtime was a difference. Give them credit for making the big plays,” said Coach Jonathan Carlson. “The senior group has been together for a while and the team has developed relationships to become a tight-knit group. The seniors set the foundation for the expectation that we play deep in the postseason and hopefully, it will permeate to the other guys and they will be hungry to get down here again. This group will be remembered for a long time.”

Senior Ben Bockman shared his sentiment of wrapping up an outstanding career on the court saying, “I want to thank all of my teammates. I have had a great high school career with unforgettable memories it’s been the best time of my

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life. They made the shots while we had missed opportunities. You know some go in and some don’t. I know the team and we can compete with anyone. We were right there but just couldn’t finish it.”

“We started working in the summer with the goal of getting to Des Moines for the state tournament. We accomplished a lot. We started playing together in fourth grade and this has been a goal. Obviously, it hurts a lot but we just have to take it in what we accomplished as a team. We love the game more than anything,” added senior Trey McCain.

The numbers McCain led the Vikings with 18 points as he went 4-of-7 from three-point land. The senior also had five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. B. Bockman also finished in double digits with 10 points, to go with four rebounds and three assists.

Putting up eight points apiece were LaFrentz and Driscoll. LaFrentz also provided five boards and two assists, while Driscoll was there for three rebounds.

M. Bockman handed out a team-high four assists along with five points. Quandahl had a team-high eight rebounds with two points, while Milburn added two points.

Kaiden Quandahl lets a shot off over the arms of a Knight.

Cael LaFrentz is double teamed on a shot.

Noah Milburn scores an offensive rebound.

The South Winn girls’ track and field team competed at the IATC Indoor Championships Thursday and Friday in Ames.

Sophomore Alyssa Holthaus had the best finish for the Warriors with a personal record (PR) in the high jump of 5 feet, 1 inch to bring home fourth. She also competed in the long jump and had a second PR with a leap of 14 feet, 6 inches to finish 11th overall.

Abby Wagner also scored points for South Winn in the long jump with a fifth-place finish with a jump of 15 feet, 1.25 inches. In the high jump, Wagner cleared the bar at 4 feet, 9 inches to finish 10th.

Crossing the 800-meter finish line in 2:29.12, senior Josie Tieskoetter scored eighth-place points for the Warriors.

The Warriors also had a pair of 12th-place finishes. The 4x100 relay of Katie Shimek, Adele Conway, Allison Hageman and Cloey Zweibohmer combined for a time of 55.85 seconds. In the 4x800 relay, it was A. Hageman, Tieskoetter, A. Franzen and Maddy Jansen teaming up for a time of 10:59.84.

Zweibohmer, a sophomore, competed in the individual 200-meter dash, finishing 15th in 28.82 seconds as well as the 60-meter prelims, stopping the clock at 8.67 seconds, good for 19th place. Also on the track for South Winn was the 4x400 relay of Shimek, Tieskoetter, Jansen and Karissa Wenthold. The quartet posted a time of 4:44.29, to take 20th place. Finishing 22nd in the sprint medley in 2:11.44

Alyssa