The Norwalk boys basketball team dominated from start to finish in Monday’s Class 4A substate opener, roaring out to a 35-5 first-half lead and defeating Des Moines Lincoln 72-37 in a game heard live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3).

The Warriors scored 24 unanswered points during one stretch and led by more than 40 points in the second half, looking sharp in all aspects of the game. Norwalk made seven 3-pointers in the first half, assisted on nearly every made basket, played hard on defense and rebounded on both ends of the floor.

Head coach Aaron Pelzer was pleased by his team’s focus against a Lincoln team they beat by 23 points earlier this season. “I just wanted to make sure we were crisp,” he said. “I didn’t want to come out and just win because we were probably the better team. I wanted to play good basketball. So that was kind of the message that we really stressed as we prepped for this one, and I thought from the very beginning of the game we were pretty sharp in most aspects of the game.”

Playing their final home game, seniors Redek Born and Aidan Harder led the Warrior charge, combining for five treys and 23 points in the first half. Born led all scorers with 21 points, Harder had 14 and Cameron Thomas scored 13. Mason Johnson and Audric Pelzer added seven and six points, respectively, off the bench, and Grady Sigrist had multiple steals.

Lionel Parks, Damarius Parker and Takhi Amos all scored in double digits for Lincoln, which finished the season 4-17 overall. The Warriors improved to 17-5 and will now play at Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson in a Class 4A, Substate 2 semifinal on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. The upstart Yellow Jackets are 18-3 on the season.

GIRLS REGIONAL FINAL

The Norwalk girls basketball team travels to Council Bluffs Lewis Central tonight for a Class 4A regional final at 7:00 p.m. The Warriors are ranked 9th in the state while the Titans are No. 8. Both teams stand 18-4 overall following home wins on Saturday night.

Norwalk, which survived an overtime battle with Carlisle in the semifinals, will look to avenge a 65-58 loss at LC earlier this season. The Warriors led by 10 points at halftime but ran into foul trouble in the second half.

Senior Lucy Scott and junior Brooke Larsen are the top scoring threats for the Titans, both averaging about 15 points per game. Junior Bailey Birmingham leads Norwalk – and the state – with 27.2 points per contest.

The game can be heard live on 94.3 KNIA and kniakrls.com (KNIA3). Pregame coverage will start at approximately 6:45.