The Norwalk girls basketball team moved one step closer to a state tournament berth on Saturday night, easily defeating Bondurant-Farrar, 72-21, in a Class 4A regional semifinal in Norwalk. The game was heard live on the KNIA3 stream.

The fourth-ranked Warriors frequently turned defense into offense and attacked the basket off the dribble effectively on a night when they made only five 3-pointers. Norwalk finished the first half on a 23-0 run to lead 43-9 at the break. Nearly the entire second half was played with the 35-point running clock.

Bailey and Braylyn Birmingham led the Warriors with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Braylyn scored 12 in the first half and Bailey had 12 in the second half. Seven other Norwalk girls broke into the scoring column as well, including eight points for Hannah Overholser and seven for Ava Carlson. Payton Travis, Ellie Dueland and Grace Linder added six points apiece.

The Warriors improved to 21-1 on the season and will host 13th-ranked Pella in the 4A Region 5 final on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. The Dutch outlasted Oskaloosa 40-38 on Saturday, improving to 16-7 overall. Norwalk defeated Pella by scores of 70-35 and 62-48 during the regular season.

Norwalk coach Joe Sigrist tells KNIA/KRLS Sports that he was very happy with Saturday’s team performance. He adds that the Warriors are “super excited” for Tuesday night’s opportunity.

“We want to hold up that blue state basketball banner on our home floor… for the first time in 18 years,” Sigrist said. “Most of our girls weren’t even born yet the last time this storied school with their girls basketball – three state title banners up there – [went to state]. We want to make it four, and Tuesday is the next step for that.”

Tuesday’s regional final will be streamed live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3). Pregame coverage begins at 6:45.