The Norwalk basketball teams finished conference play Friday night with a sweep of Oskaloosa, the girls winning 61-29 and the boys prevailing 72-50 on Senior Night. Both games were streamed live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3) as well as the Warrior Productions YouTube channel.
The Warrior girls avenged an earlier loss to Osky and did so in dominant fashion, scoring the first 14 points of the game and building leads of 43-14 at halftime and 57-17 after three quarters. Norwalk’s zone press forced numerous turnovers and the Warriors showcased unselfish passing to rack up points in transition as well as their half court sets.
Norwalk finishes the regular season with two straight lopsided wins and a record of 6-15 overall and 4-10 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. Head coach Jill Martin is happy to see the team playing their best basketball at the right time. The Warriors open Class 4A regional play at Bondurant-Farrar Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
“It was a good win for us,” Martin said. “It’s what we’ve talked about all week is kind of building that momentum for getting to start fresh next week with a 0-0 record. We’re excited and this was exactly what we needed.”
Norwalk’s leading scorers were Bailey Birmingham with 18 points, Braelyn Clark 14 points and four assists, Avery Thomas 11 points and eight rebounds, and Pearl Brown nine points and five steals. The Warriors shot 7-of-20 from three-point range and made 12-of-16 free throws. Oskaloosa, which was playing without its top scorer and point guard, Presley Blommers, was led by Dasia Foster’s 12 points.
The Norwalk boys celebrated Senior Night with an all-senior starting five Friday night and cruised to a season sweep of Osky for their 12th consecutive win. The Warriors, who led by 31 points in the fourth quarter, wrapped up second place in the Little Hawkeye Conference at 11-3. They are 16-3 overall with two regular season games remaining.
Norwalk seniors Jack Brown, Braeden Carlson, Austin Mills, Will Patterson, Landon Edwards, Ian Fisher and Camiel De Vre were recognized prior to the game. Coach Aaron Pelzer says the night was all about honoring those seniors, adding that the team did just that by playing with an energy and togetherness that has typified the current winning streak.
“I’m just proud of the seniors,” Pelzer said. “It’s not an easy thing to make it to your senior year anymore… just the commitment that it is and the distractions. I’m just really proud of that group of seven.”
Carlson led the Warriors with 20 points, followed by Aidan Harder with 13, Fisher and Brown 10 apiece and Redek Born nine. Harder made three of the team’s seven three-pointers.
The Norwalk boys return to action Tuesday night at home vs. ADM.