The Norwalk basketball teams hosted their first doubleheader of the season Tuesday, and dropped both games to Ballard, as aired on KNIA3. In the girls game, the Warriors could not hold onto a second quarter lead, dropping a 54-42 decision. Norwalk trailed 9-8 after one, and led by as many as six in the second. But the #2 (3A) Bombers put together a run and led 24-19 at the break. After a back-and-forth third quarter, Ballard put the game away with a strong fourth quarter. Head Coach Jill Martin said despite the loss, it was an all-around quality performance by her team.

“Let’s give credit where credit is due. They’re the #2 ranked defending champions of 4A. They’re a great program, they never have a down year. It’s a reload and a well-coached team. We knew what we were getting into, and I’m pretty proud of our efforts tonight across the board.”

Bailey Birmingham led the way with 15 points while JoJo Bice added 12. Norwalk moves to 1-1 on the season.

In the season opener for both teams, the Norwalk boys squandered a first quarter lead in falling 79-50. The Warriors held a six point lead in the first quarter, but a three-pointer by Ballard’s Ashton Hermann changed the momentum and tied the game at 16 heading into the second. Hermann continued his dominance, and helped his team build a 45-23 halftime lead, which ended up putting the game out of reach. Head Coach Aaron Pelzer says after his first game as head coach, they’ll learn from this experience and continue to grow as a team.

“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. We knew coming in that we’d have some growing pains with the players we have returning. It’s not an excuse, but we knew we might fight through some things, and that’s what happened tonight. The first quarter was awesome. I think the three that Hermann got at the end of the first quarter off blown coverage got him going, and we knew he was excellent, which was why we guarded him differently early. We’ve got a lot of things to improve on. The guys are staying positive. We’ll keep building one game at a time, and we’ll compete the best we can Friday.”

Redek Born led the Warriors with 16 points, Vinny Mauro had 14 and Aidan Harder added 11. Norwalk starts 0-1. Both teams return to action Friday, hosting Pella Christian in the Little Hawkeye Conference opener.