For the first time in 18 years, the Norwalk girls basketball team is headed back to the state tournament. The fourth-ranked Warriors left no doubt on Tuesday night, defeating Pella 85-56 in the Class 4A, Region 5 championship game, heard live on the KNIA3 stream.

Norwalk’s third win of the season over the 13th-ranked Dutch sends them back to state for the first time since 2007. The 22-1 Warriors will be the No. 4 seed in the 4A bracket and face 20-4 Central DeWitt in a quarterfinal game on Tuesday, March 4, at 1:30.

Norwalk head coach Joe Sigrist, who previously guided West Des Moines Valley to three state titles, took over a Warrior team that went 6-16 two years ago with no seniors and one junior. They went 18-5 last year, falling to Lewis Central by four in a regional final. Now they’re headed to Wells Fargo Arena, where the goal is three more wins and a 4A state title. Sigrist tells KNIA Sports that he knew the high potential of this Warrior team when he took the job.

“We put a plan in place from day one,” he said. “Last year’s team was awesome. I loved that team… came four points short in the regional final. But this team feels really special, and I think it could truly have three games left in it.”

Following four quick lead changes at the start of Tuesday’s game, Norwalk rattled off an 18-4 run and never looked back. They led 44-23 at the half and scored 22 points in each of the first three quarters. The Warriors made 22-of-24 free throws, including 12-of-14 by freshman Braylyn Birmingham, who led all scorers with 27 points. Senior Bailey Birmingham added three 3-pointers and 21 points, Hannah Overholser scored 13 and Pearl Brown had 10. According to Sigrist, Norwalk’s 85 points marked a new school record.

Bailey Birmingham tells KNIA Sports that the Warriors fought off some nerves early, but they remembered the feeling of last year’s regional final loss and didn’t want to experience it again. “I think that we all reminded each other just to stay composed and it was just another game,” she said. “Obviously a huge one, but we took care of business and it was just a really fun night.”

Katie Scheckel led Pella with 15 points. The Dutch made seven 3-pointers in the second half and matched Norwalk with nine treys on the night.