As the Norwalk basketball teams return to practice this week in preparation for the 2023 portion of the season, both squads boast the top scorer in the Little Hawkeye Conference as they aim for more team success in the new year.
The Warrior boys are 4-2 overall following a 63-55 win at Des Moines Lincoln December 20, but they currently stand sixth in the Little Hawkeye standings with a 1-2 record. Norwalk ranks third in the conference with a scoring average of 60.5 points and is second in point differential at 7.5.
Junior guard Redek Born leads the LHC with 18.2 points per game and is second with an average of 4.3 assists. Senior Braeden Carlson leads the league with 9.2 rebounds per game and ranks second to Born with 15.7 points a night.
Norwalk boys basketball coach Aaron Pelzer says the Warriors will get back to work this week after taking about a week off. The objective of the next several days, he says, is to fine tune many facets of the game in preparation for the heart of the season.
“We always talk about how Christmas break (is) where good teams make a lot of hay,” Pelzer said. “I feel like we’re a good team right now, and our goal is to polish up some things and get some things corrected and get a little bit better at some things, and come out of the gate and be a lot better basketball team in 2023.”
The Warrior girls are also 1-2 in the Little Hawkeye standings – tied for fifth – and stand 2-5 overall. Four of those five losses have come against state-ranked competition.
Norwalk ranks fourth in the LHC with 48.7 points per game, led by conference scoring leader Bailey Birmingham. The sophomore guard averages 19.3 points per contest and also ranks third with 6.5 rebounds. Junior Anna Larson has the third-most assists in the league with 4.3 per game.
Birmingham and fellow sophomore Braelyn Clark tell KNIA-KRLS Sports that the Warriors have been competitive in every game for at least a quarter or a half and must work on consistency during the next two months. They also feel that last week’s 58-32 win at Des Moines Lincoln is a great momentum booster going into the holiday break.
Clark says, “I think it really boosts our confidence a little bit, and I think we know that… by the end of February, that’s where we want to be at our best.”
Both Norwalk squads return to action Tuesday, January 3, hosting Dallas Center-Grimes. The DC-G girls are ranked 2nd in Class 4A at 7-2 overall and 3-0 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. The Mustang boy are 5-1 overall and 2-1 in league play.