Written by Blake Walker, Varsity Bound
After the Norwalk Warriors won the 2020 3A State Title behind standout phenomenon Bowen Born, they were told that they would be moved up to Class 4A. A huge jump considering how quickly the Norwalk school district is growing. Along with the news came a ton of questions including; how does Norwalk continue to win without Born? Safe to say, head coach, Chris Larson and his squad really didn’t miss a beat. Coming into their game against Pella, they sat at a 10-4 record and a 6-3 record in the Little Hawkeye Conference. I’d say that’s pretty good.
Pella on the other hand brought in a solid 13-1 record with their only loss coming to a Des Moines Christian team who overcame an 18 point deficit to upset the Dutch on the road. The Dutch took down at the time #1 Dallas Center Grimes a couple weeks ago to propel them to the #1 spot in 3A, but with the loss to DSM Christian, they fell to #2. Head coach Derek Schulte and his team know better than anyone that no matter what team they play, they will be given their best shot and that’s exactly what happened against Norwalk.
The game started out pretty sluggish for both teams until a couple of Dutch turnovers jumped the Warriors out to a 12-2 run in the first quarter. Pella used their potent fast paced offense to bring it back within five as the quarter came to a close. In the second quarter it was a complete opposite showing for both teams. Whenever Norwalk would take and make a three, Pella would come down the court and do the same exact thing. Junior transfer from Newton, Noah Allen, helped the Dutch with a couple of crucial threes to give them a 32-29 lead going into the locker room. The third quarter brought more back and forth action when the lid wasn’t on the rim for both squads. Norwalk retook the lead going into the fourth, 51-47. The final quarter brought out the Dutch defense at its best. Norwalk spent most of their possessions working the ball around trying to find the best open look and Pella would just end up taking it away. The Dutch took a 57-55 lead in the closing minutes which led to a missed go-ahead three pointer in the corner by the Warriors. Max Juergens got fouled shooting a three pointer down three but could only knock down one of his free throws. Junior Karl Miller iced the game at the free throw line as the Pella Dutch survived another tough contest, 61-56.
Norwalk falls to 10-5 on the season but there is no shortage of positives for Larson and his squad to look at. They were able to slow down one of the fastest teams in the state on several occasions and that can become crucial as the Warriors found out they’re in the same sub-state as possible 4A champ contender Waukee in postseason play. The Dutch on the other hand move to 14-1 and a perfect 10-0 record in conference play as they keep their eye on a state tournament run. It is worth noting, Pella’s last four out of their five games have been decided by six points or less so that could be a concern or a positive depending on the way you look at it. The Dutch face another tough test on Friday as they head to #7 Dallas Center Grimes to take on a revenge hungry Mustang squad. Norwalk on the other hand heads to Newton next to take on the Cardinals.