By Bob Bakken
MaxPreps.com
Boys Basketball: May Family Championship Tradition
Dubuque Wahlert basketball player Eric May wants to get a little of the magic his sister has had the past few years.
Stephanie May won three state championships at Wahlert, and Eric was there to cheer her on. Now, Eric is trying for his championship during this week’s state boys basketball tournament in Des Moines. A couple of dunks and 19 points later, Eric’s Golden Eagles had advanced to the semifinals with a 64-40 conquest of Sioux City Heelan.
May told the Des Moines Register newspaper, “I was out there cheering for her. I was waiting for a chance to get out there.”
Second-ranked Wahlert meets top-ranked Forest City in the semifinals. Heelan failed the make the Class 3-A state championship game for the first time in four years. Zach McCabe led the Crusaders with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Boys Basketball: Tri-Center Coach Resigns
Neola Tri-Center will be looking for a new boys basketball coach for next season.
Carl Cochran announced he was stepping down after 34 seasons on the bench at Tri-Center. He’s coached for 40 years, posting a record of 551-310. The record includes six seasons at Elk Horn-Kimballton.
Cochran told the Council Bluffs Nonpareil newspaper, "I think I still could keep going, but I think it's a young coach's game. I know I'll miss it, but it's time, and I want to do it before someone tells me I have to do it."
While at Tri-Center, Cochran led his team to five state tournament appearances, including a second-place finish in 1986.
Girls Basketball: Bishop Heelan Wins First Class 3-A Title
When Sioux City Heelan and basketball are placed in the same sentence, talk has usually been about the Crusader boys’ teams.
While never winning a state championship, the Crusader boys have traditionally had a strong presence, first in the 4-A class, and then in 3-A, as its enrollment has fallen over the years.
But the title of first state basketball champion from Heelan will go to the Crusader girls’ team, who survived a threat from Pella in the final game to claim the title last Saturday in Des Moines.
The 54-51 victory capped third-ranked Heelan’s best-ever record for a girls’ team, 25-2.
As a community, Sioux City schools have now won two state titles in a row, after being completely shut out of championship hardware before North won the 4-A championship last season.
Girls Basketball: Assumption Takes 2-A
When Davenport Assumption won its first-ever state 2-A girls basketball championship last Saturday night, Annie Smith said she was dedicating the win for those who’ve never won before.
Smith told the Des Moines Register newspaper, “This is for all the teams that never made it. It’s taken so long.”
Seven previous Assumption teams had come to Des Moines for the state tournament, and none had come home with a title. That includes four-straight appearances the past four years.
The Lady Knights defeated fifth-ranked MFL/Mar-Mac 46-27 in the title game, holding the opponent to a season-low game total.
Smith and all-tournament captain Lauren Lybbert combined for 20 points in the finals victory.
Assumption coach Todd Borrison won his third state title, having also claimed championships in Preston in 2000 and 2001. He became the third Iowa coach to win championships for two different programs during his career.
Girls Basketball: Hall-of-Fame Inducts Three
Three players who had their high school playing careers intertwine were inducted into the Iowa Girls’ Basketball Hall of Fame during last week’s state tournament.
The trio includes Ankeny’s Erica Junod, Jennie Lillis of West Des Moines Dowling and Nina Smith of West Waterloo.
Junod and Smith played in the longest state tournament game in history as sophomores, as Junod’s Hawks defeated Smith’s Wahawks 89-85 in five overtimes. Ankeny ousted West in another state tournament appearance for the pair.
Junod and Lillis each won two state titles between 1997 and 2000.
Lillis went on to play at Iowa, Junod at Iowa State. Smith started her college career at Wisconsin, but finished at Division II Holy Family in Philadelphia.