By Becky Walz,
The season came to an end for the Decorah girls basketball team Saturday as the Vikings fell to Xavier 86-35 in the Class 4A Region 8 semifinals.
Decorah ends the year 11-12 overall as the final team to win the Northeast Iowa Conference title as the long-standing league gets set to dissolve later this year.
Xavier (18-4) met Waverly Shell-Rock (19-2) in the regional finals Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Close one
Having finished out the regular season on the road at Waterloo East, the Vikings knew what to look for in Wednesday’s regional contest against the Trojans (8-13) and came out on top 48-42.
Decorah got out to a good start in Wednesday’s contest, going up 17-8 after the first eight minutes over Waterloo East. The visiting Trojans picked up some momentum in the second, cutting the Vikes’ lead to 19-16. However, Decorah managed to outscore Waterloo East 7-2 in the final 3 minutes and extended the lead back to 26-18.
Waterloo East made a push in the third quarter to move within two, 37-35. The Tigers kept clawing back as Decorah carried a six-point lead with just over a minute remaining and hung on as time ticked off the clock for the win.
“We had a really good start to the game, and I told the team at the end of the day, you win and move on in the playoffs. I give Waterloo East a lot of credit as they did not back down and continued to challenge us all game. I was really pleased how the girls stuck together and battled through the second half to close it out and secure the win,” said coach Blake Moen. “Beating the same team twice in a week is difficult, especially in the playoffs, but it’s another excellent learning experience for our team and I think shows the growth we’ve continued to show this season.”
Sydney Thompson led the Vikings with 11 points, four rebounds. Renae Wilson had nine points and five boards while Liz Bucksa had eight points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Grace Tangen also put up eight points to go with three boards as Brooklyn Fromm contributed five points, five rebounds, five steals and six assists.
Waterloo East 8 10 17 7 42
Decorah 17 9 11 11 48
Scoring – Sydney Thompson 11; Renae Wilson 9; Liz Bucksa 8; Grace Tangen 8; Brooklyn Fromm 5; Kelby Kerndt 4; Clara Hjelle 3
Rebounds – Bucksa 11; Wilson 5; Fromm 5; Hjelle 4; Thompson 4; Tangen 3; Kerndt 2; Assists – Bucksa 6; Fromm 6; Hjelle 1; Tangen 1; Steals – Fromm 5; Bucksa 3; Tangen 1
Finishing the season
Making the long trip to Cedar Rapids, Decorah’s season was stopped in the regional semifinal by No. 8 Xavier (18-4) 86-35.
The Vikes fell behind early 22-5 after the first eight minutes. By halftime, the Saints advantage extended to 50-14 and kept it going in the second half, outscoring Decorah 36-21.
“Xavier is one of the best teams in the state and they played exceptionally well against us. It’s always hard to see a season come to an end, but I cannot express how proud I am of our girls and coaches. We battled injuries and ups/downs throughout the season, but the girls stuck together and grew as a group. The enthusiasm they showed every day in practices and games was contagious, and I know that will trickle into the off season,” said coach Moen. “Our seniors Kera Walter, Ella Carlson and Elizabeth Bjork will be greatly missed next season and I cannot thank those three seniors enough for what they have done from an organization, leadership, and commitment standpoint. They have set the bar for the girls basketball program to our returning players and youth. Those three will be excellent in whatever they decide to do in life after high-school and I cannot wait to follow their accomplishments down the road.”
Tangen led the charge with 17 points while Bucksa contributed 11. Providing two points apiece were Natalie Stevens, Wilson and Fromm while Thompson added one.
Decorah 5 9 10 11 35
Xavier 22 28 19 17 86
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