Des Moines, IA- There was a gleam for #4 Burlington Notre Dame in the Class 1A semifinals, but a three-point halftime deficit turned into a 14 to 2 run for #1 St. Edmond that the Nikes could not dig themselves out of in a 74-55 final.
In Notre Dame’s first trip back to the state semifinals since 1981, the Nikes had no problems scoring early in the contest with Griffin Kies knocking down his first two threes of the game to give the underdogs a 6 to 2 lead.
The Gaels were looking for redemption after being knocked out of the semifinals last year by the eventual state champions Madrid, 71-58. St. Edmond has also had an extra ounce of motivation for the season with long-time head coach Adolph Kochendorfer announced he would retire at the end of the season after 40 years of coaching and over 600 career wins.
The result was a trading of punches with L.J. Harris for Notre Dame and Hunter Horn, St. Edmond’s all-time leading scorer, each putting up eight points in the first quarter as the Nikes and Gaels exited the first frame tied at 18.
Notre Dame had an early opportunity in the second quarter to go on a run with Horn sitting on the bench in early foul trouble. Tatum Warner’s layup and a Payne Prottsman triple gave the Nikes a five-point lead, but that was as far as the offense would go for either team as they both mustered only four field goals.
Nevertheless, second chances and four more made free throws gave the Gaels a 31 to 28 lead entering halftime. The third quarter quickly got out of hand as St. Edmond missed only four shots in the quarter, while the Nikes again struggled on offense with four made field goals. Nike head coach Dan Kies discussed what went awry during the Gaels’ run,
“Yeah, I mean, we didn’t finish or take, we took some shots that maybe weren’t the best shots, didn’t finish some shots, got beat defensively. So some of the things defensively that we normally do a better job of didn’t stay in front very well, we did not keep them off the offensive glass… You take that away and it’s a different story going into half. Talked about it again, we still didn’t really focus on going and getting bodies and hitting people… So that was a huge thing, and we just didn’t play as well defensively. But they did what they needed to, they’re a solid program, we know they’re good, they’re not gonna get the number one seed for nothing. So, I don’t think the difference is as big as what the board looks like, but it’s still, they did what they needed to, they worked hard, they executed, so the better team today for sure comes out on top.”
Unfortunately, St. Edmond outscored Notre Dame 22 to 11 in the third quarter and continued that success at the free throw line into the fourth quarter, finishing the game 26-38 from the free throw line.
If you were looking for a positive, Shay Stephens, the Western Illinois commit, secured an 18 point and 10 rebound double-double. The senior entered the game needing only two more rebounds to cement his name into the Iowa high school history book for a season double-double (500-plus points and 250-plus rebounds).
When Stephens checked out of the game for the final time as a Nike, he paused for a long while distributing hugs to assistant coach Gavin Kies and head coach Dan Kies. Coach Kies understood how bad his team wanted to play in the Class 1A championship,
“So, it’s rough for him [Shay Stephens], and it’s very disappointing for these guys. But they still gotta be proud of what they’ve done this year…I mean, unfortunately, we didn’t come here to just participate. We came here to try and get to Friday and see what we could do after that. So obviously did not overlook anything, and we prepared, we thought. We just didn’t execute very well, and they did, so.”
(Picture from Notre Dame NIKES Athletics Facebook)
Still, the historic season saw Notre Dame collect 25 wins for the season, win the Southeast Iowa Super Conference, punch their first ticket to the state tournament in 17 years, and win their first game at the state tournament since 1981. For coach Kies, he’s hoping this is a launching pad for the program,
“There’s plenty of talent coming, whether it’s size or abilities or whatever. But get on to their next sport or whatever they’re doing and then put in some offseason work and really just get ready to go again next year.”
Notre Dame Scoring: Shay Stephens 18 points, Griffin Kies 12 points, L.J. Harris 8 points, Tatum Warner and Kellan Porter 5 points, Eli Oleson 4 points, Payne Prottsman 3 points.