By Becky Walz,
The long wait is over.
A year after getting oh-so-close, the No. 1 Vikings are jumping for joy.
For the first time since 1977, the Decorah boys’ basketball team is headed to state.
Decorah (22-1), ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, punched their ticket to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines by defeating Clear Lake (17-6) Monday night at Waterloo East, 46-39.
First up in the Vikings’ way of the state title is Central DeWitt (18-6). Game time is Tuesday, March 8, at 5:30 p.m.
“I am so proud of our whole team as everyone played their role and it was a total team effort to win,” said Coach Jonathan Carlson. “I appreciate all of our guys as our coaching staff did a great job preparing the team for the game. A big thank you to the community support. Our guys are hoping for more at state next week as they have to stay hungry and humble.”
Game time
The Vikings had their hands full throughout the substate final Monday; however, Decorah took the lead 1:11 into the game and never trailed in the contest.
Senior Joe Bockman got the crowd into the game early, hitting the first shot. The Lions quickly answered with a basket of their own. Then it was an offensive rebound and put-back by Noah Storts that started a 9-0 run to put the Vikes on top 11-2 at the 4:02 mark. Clear Lake bounced back with a 6-2 run to close out the first period leaving Decorah out front 13-8.
It was Carson Wemark spearheading the offensive attack to open the second frame, but it was J. Bockman that put up 11 of Decorah’s 15 points in the period to push the Vikings ahead 28-19 at the break.
Clear Lake quickly cut the lead to 28-24 in the first minute of the third; however, it was J. Bockman again who found the net for all five of the Vikings’ points, with neither team scoring after the 2:03 mark. With eight minutes left to play, Decorah managed to hold a 33-26 lead.
Decorah’s Trey McCain kicked off the final quarter with a pair of free throws and a layup before Clear Lake slapped a full-court press on the Vikings with just over five minutes remaining. Little by little the Lions began to chip away at Decorah’s lead, getting within four at 40-36 with 48 seconds remaining. Clear Lake then had several chances to cut the deficit further but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. Decorah had several athletes step up to the charity stripe, converting on 5-of-6 free throws in the final 28.9 seconds to seal the win.
A quick look
J. Bockman led the team with 22 points and five rebounds while Noah Storts provided nine points and 11 boards. Trey McCain stepped up with eight points, dished out two assists and had two steals. Carson Wemark had five points to go with a team-high 12 rebounds, along with two steals, while Ben Bockman added two points and two rebounds.
Clear Lake 8 11 7 13 39
Decorah 13 15 5 13 46
Scoring – Joe Bockman 22; Noah Storts 9; Trey McCain 8; Carson Wemark 5; Ben Bockman 2
Rebounds – Wemark 12; Storts 11; J. Bockman 5; B. Bockman 2; Joseph Hjelle 2; McCain 1; Assists – McCain 2; Wemark 1; Jacob Pipho 1; J. Bockman 1; Storts 1; Steals – Wemark 2; McCain 2; J. Bockman 1; Blocks – Wemark 1; Storts 1
Submit A Comment
Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.