For the first time since winning the Class 3A state title in 2020, Norwalk is headed back to the Boys State Basketball Tournament.

The sixth-ranked Warriors outlasted No. 9 Sioux City East 64-58 in a barn burner of a Class 4A, Substate 1 final played Tuesday night at Denison. The game was streamed live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3).

Trailing 15-3 in the first quarter, Norwalk countered with an impressive 24-9 run, led 35-32 at halftime, and survived a tumultuous second half of lead changes and momentum swings. Senior Jack Brown’s fifth three-pointer gave the Warriors a four-point cushion late in the game.

Redek Born’s clutch free throws down the stretch allowed Norwalk to hold on, extending its winning streak to 16 games and clinching the program’s ninth state tourney appearance overall and the first as a 4A school. Born cashed in all 14 of his free throw attempts on the night and led all scorers with 25 points. Brown scored 17 points and Braeden Carlson added 10.

Born, Brown and Carlson all had older brothers play on the 2020 state championship team, and Born says that makes this year’s accomplishment extra special.

“In the locker room, a lot of our seniors and us were just saying how Coach (Chris) Larson and that group and Bowen (Born) went to Wells Fargo and how all of us were at those games,” Born said, “and it was just like a dream for us to go ourselves and play there.”

Aaron Pelzer was an assistant coach for the 2020 squad and now takes his first Norwalk team to state in just his second year as the head coach.

“This is what I’ve wanted for a long time,” Pelzer said. “When Mr. (Al) Lammers hired me this was my dream job, and to get it done with such a good group of guys that work so hard and put their trust in us as coaches, it feels really special. Norwalk loves basketball, and it’s so awesome to be able to put a good product out there that makes not only the players’ families proud, but our community proud and our school proud. I think this group represents Norwalk extremely well.”

Norwalk, now 20-3 overall, will be the fifth seed in the 4A state tournament and face West Des Moines Valley (18-5) in a quarterfinal game Wednesday, March 8, at 3:45 p.m. Sioux City East finishes the season at 21-3.