1A Championship: #1 Grand View Christian 63, #2 North Linn 46
The first thing that people notice when they look at Grand View Christian’s roster is the overwhelming size. There’s the 7-0
Daniel Tobiloba
Daniel
Tobiloba
7'0" | C
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
. There’s the 6-9
Emiliano Barrantes
Emiliano
Barrantes
6'9" | PF
Grand View Christian | 2025
State
IA
. There’s the 6-5
Noah John
Noah
John
6'3" | PF
Grand View Christian | 2024
State
IA
. But this week, and all season, the biggest difference-maker has been the 5-11
Josh Sanderson
Josh
Sanderson
5'10" | PG
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
, who concluded a tremendous run through this week with a state tournament title, as Grand View Christian capped off their undefeated season with a 63-46 win over North Linn. This is the fourth state title in school history, their first since winning three straight from 2017-19.
North Linn jumped out of the gates early in this one, taking an early 10-4 lead on the strength of their quickness and shooting. They were beating the bigger Thunder to loose offensive rebounds, and knocking down their 3s early, which was what they were going to need to do if they were going to pull off the upset. The Lynx led 21-17 after the first quarter.
Grand View Christian opened up the second quarter on one of their patented runs, scoring 13 of the first 16 points to grab a 30-24 lead with 3:21 left in the half, and the Thunder held a 32-30 lead at the break.
The size, length, and quickness of the Thunder eventually won out, however, as they broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Lynx 19-8 in the frame and taking a comfortable 13-point lead into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, it was Sanderson who iced the game away, using his blazing speed and tight handles to routinely dribble out 25-30 seconds of the shot clock, then still get into the paint and get a quality look. North Linn wasn’t able to get the ball out of his hands, and he made them pay.
Grand View Christian closes out the perfect season with a 27-0 record and with only one game decided by single digits all season. The Thunder were led by
Josh Sanderson
Josh
Sanderson
5'10" | PG
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
and
Noah John
Noah
John
6'3" | PF
Grand View Christian | 2024
State
IA
, who each had 18 points. Sanderson was named captain of the all-tournament team, and
Daniel Tobiloba
Daniel
Tobiloba
7'0" | C
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
joined him.
North Linn’s season ends with a 26-1 record and a sixth consecutive appearance in a state championship game. The Lynx were led by
Tate Haughenbury
Tate
Haughenbury
6'5" | PF
North Linn | 2023
State
IA
, who concluded a stellar career with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Ben Wheatley
Ben
Wheatley
6'1" | SG
North Linn | 2023
State
IA
, also playing his final game for North Linn, had 13 points in the loss. The Lynx will once again be one of the best teams in 1A basketball next season, bringing back three starters and nearly every key role player from this year’s team.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
North Linn | 21 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 46 |
Grand View Christian | 17 | 15 | 19 | 12 | 63 |
Scoring
North Linn:
Tate Haughenbury
Tate
Haughenbury
6'5" | PF
North Linn | 2023
State
IA
14,
Ben Wheatley
Ben
Wheatley
6'1" | SG
North Linn | 2023
State
IA
13,
Breckyn Betenbender
Breckyn
Betenbender
5'10" | PG
North Linn | 2024
State
IA
7,
Mason Bechen
Mason
Bechen
6'1" | PG
North Linn | 2025
State
IA
5, Drew Ries 5, Grant Rechkemmer 2
Grand View Christian:
Josh Sanderson
Josh
Sanderson
5'10" | PG
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
18,
Noah John
Noah
John
6'3" | PF
Grand View Christian | 2024
State
IA
18,
Frankie Chiodo
Frankie
Chiodo
6'1" | SG
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
9,
Emiliano Barrantes
Emiliano
Barrantes
6'9" | PF
Grand View Christian | 2025
State
IA
8,
Daniel Tobiloba
Daniel
Tobiloba
7'0" | C
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
8, Brayden Hoben 2
Team stats
North Linn: 18-49 FG (36.7%), 6-14 3P (42.9%), 4-10 FT (40.0%), 25 rebounds (6 offensive), 6 assists, 5 turnovers
Grand View Christian: 28-57 FG (49.1%), 4-15 3P (26.7%), 3-9 FT (33.3%), 41 rebounds (13 offensive), 7 assists, 6 turnovers
MVP:
Josh Sanderson
Josh
Sanderson
5'10" | PG
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
(Grand View Christian) — 18 points (7-16 FG, 3-6 3P, 1-1 FT), 2 rebounds, 3 assists
You could make a really strong argument for
Noah John
Noah
John
6'3" | PF
Grand View Christian | 2024
State
IA
here as well, but Sanderson’s ability to control the clock and still get quality looks made a North Linn comeback impossible. He concluded a great week with another fantastic performance.
All-tournament team:
Tate Haughenbury
Tate
Haughenbury
6'5" | PF
North Linn | 2023
State
IA
(North Linn),
Daniel Tobiloba
Daniel
Tobiloba
7'0" | C
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
(Grand View Christian),
Collin Homan
Collin
Homan
6'5" | PF
Remsen, St. Mary's | 2025
State
IA
(Remsen, St. Mary’s),
Sage Evans
Sage
Evans
6'2" | PF
West Harrison | 2023
State
IA
(West Harrison),
Mason Bechen
Mason
Bechen
6'1" | PG
North Linn | 2025
State
IA
(North Linn),
Josh Sanderson
Josh
Sanderson
5'10" | PG
Grand View Christian | 2023
State
IA
(Grand View Christian, captain)
2A Championship: #1 Central Lyon 72, #3 Western Christian 59
In the time it takes to brush your teeth, Central Lyon put together a run that captured them a state championship, beating Western Christian 72-59 on Friday afternoon to take home the school’s first boys state basketball championship.
Two teams that weren’t separated by much this week, that stayed true to form for a majority of this championship game as well. Central Lyon held a 16-13 lead after the first quarter, and the teams were tied at 32 heading into the half.
Western Christian scored the first six points of the second half, grabbing a 38-32 lead. Central Lyon battled back again to tie it at 44 with about a minute to play in the third quarter.
Central Lyon got 3-pointers from
Ephraim Hoefert
Ephraim
Hoefert
6'6" | SF
Central Lyon | 2025
State
IA
and Josh Elbert in the final 55 seconds of the quarter to give them a 50-44 edge after three.
Zach Lutmer
Zach
Lutmer
6'1" | PG
Central Lyon | 2023
IA
opened the fourth quarter with another 3, then
Reece Vander Zee
Reece
Vander Zee
6'5" | SF
Central Lyon | 2024
State
IA
scored inside, giving them another five points in the first 49 seconds of the fourth quarter. 11 points in 104 seconds. Ball game. State title heading to Rock Rapids.
After finishing second here last year, Central Lyon has been on a mission all year to get back to this spot, and to complete the task, and they did just that.
Central Lyon finishes the season with a 24-1 record and a state championship to put with their football state title won back in November. The Lions were led by
Zach Lutmer
Zach
Lutmer
6'1" | PG
Central Lyon | 2023
IA
, who concluded a stellar high school career with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. He’s headed to Iowa to play football next season.
Reece Vander Zee
Reece
Vander Zee
6'5" | SF
Central Lyon | 2024
State
IA
had 21 points, and
Andrew Austin
Andrew
Austin
6'6" | PF
Central Lyon | 2023
State
IA
chipped in 17 in the win. Lutmer, Vander Zee, and Austin all were named to the all-tournament team, with Austin being named captain. The Lions shot 58% from the floor, 47% from 3, and 82.4% from the line. That type of efficiency will win you a lot of games.
Western Christian’s season ends with a 22-4 record and their 12th appearance in a state championship game. The Wolfpack were led by
Tate Van Regenmorter
Tate
Van Regenmorter
6'5" | PF
Western Christian | 2023
State
IA
, who had 19 points.
Kaden Van Regenmorter
Kaden
Van Regenmorter
6'3" | SF
Hull, Western Christian | 2025
State
IA
chipped in 10 in the balanced attack.
Kaden Van Regenmorter
Kaden
Van Regenmorter
6'3" | SF
Hull, Western Christian | 2025
State
IA
and
Karsten Moret
Karsten
Moret
6'3" | SG
Western Christian | 2025
State
IA
will return among the starters, and Western Christian is Western Christian; they’ll be back.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
Western Christian | 13 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 59 |
Central Lyon | 16 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 72 |
Scoring
Western Christian:
Tate Van Regenmorter
Tate
Van Regenmorter
6'5" | PF
Western Christian | 2023
State
IA
19,
Kaden Van Regenmorter
Kaden
Van Regenmorter
6'3" | SF
Hull, Western Christian | 2025
State
IA
10, Tyler Mantel 9, Chandler Pollema 6, Uchan Harberts 5,
Ashtin Van’t Hul
Ashtin
Van’t Hul
6'0" | PG
Western Christian | 2023
State
IA
4, Hunter Hofland 4,
Karsten Moret
Karsten
Moret
6'3" | SG
Western Christian | 2025
State
IA
2
Central Lyon:
Zach Lutmer
Zach
Lutmer
6'1" | PG
Central Lyon | 2023
IA
25,
Reece Vander Zee
Reece
Vander Zee
6'5" | SF
Central Lyon | 2024
State
IA
21,
Andrew Austin
Andrew
Austin
6'6" | PF
Central Lyon | 2023
State
IA
17, Josh Elbert 6,
Ephraim Hoefert
Ephraim
Hoefert
6'6" | SF
Central Lyon | 2025
State
IA
3
Team stats
Western Christian: 23-56 FG (41.1%), 3-16 3P (18.8%), 10-12 FT (83.3%), 28 rebounds (11 offensive), 7 assists, 12 turnovers
Central Lyon: 25-43 FG (58.1%), 8-17 3P (47.1%), 14-17 FT (82.4%), 26 rebounds (3 offensive), 13 assists, 13 turnovers
MVP: 2023
Zach Lutmer
Zach
Lutmer
6'1" | PG
Central Lyon | 2023
IA
(Central Lyon) — 25 points (7-12 FG, 2-5 3P, 9-10 FT), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal
As he did in November with the Central Lyon/George-Little Rock football team, Lutmer stepped his game up when it mattered most and led his team to a state championship. A flat-out winner who saved his best performance of the week for last, he was dominant in all facets, in complete control.
All-tournament team:
Zach Lutmer
Zach
Lutmer
6'1" | PG
Central Lyon | 2023
IA
(Central Lyon),
Reece Vander Zee
Reece
Vander Zee
6'5" | SF
Central Lyon | 2024
State
IA
(Central Lyon),
Tate Van Regenmorter
Tate
Van Regenmorter
6'5" | PF
Western Christian | 2023
State
IA
(Western Christian),
Luke Patton
Luke
Patton
6'5" | PF
Roland-Story | 2023
State
IA
(Roland-Story),
Kaden Van Regenmorter
Kaden
Van Regenmorter
6'3" | SF
Hull, Western Christian | 2025
State
IA
(Western Christian),
Andrew Austin
Andrew
Austin
6'6" | PF
Central Lyon | 2023
State
IA
(Central Lyon, captain)
3A Championship: #1 Bondurant-Farrar 58, #2 Xavier 55
Bondurant-Farrar completed their undefeated season on Friday night, coming back from a nine-point second-half deficit to beat Cedar Rapids Xavier 58-55, taking home their first state championship since 1997.
This was a back-and-forth game throughout, with nine lead changes and seven ties, including five in the first half. Xavier took a narrow 25-24 advantage into the break after a Tyler Netolicky Tyler Netolicky 6'8" | C Xavier | 2024 State IA offensive rebound and putback.
The Saints came out of the break hot, going on a 12-4 run to open the half and take a 37-28 lead midway through the third quarter. Some teams would fold against a team as talented as the Saints, facing that type of deficit. But not this team. Not this year.
Colby Collison
Colby
Collison
6'4" | SF
Bondurant-Farrar | 2023
State
IA
, the Bluejays leading scorer this season, started to post up more and had a bunch of success, scoring nine third quarter points and the Jays as a whole gave up shooting jumpers and took the ball to the rim relentlessly in the second half.
Bondurant-Farrar controlled the final eight minutes, opening the quarter with a 9-3 spurt to grab a brief 46-45 lead. Xavier answered with the next five, and held a 52-50 lead with 1:43 to play. Collison made a pair of free throws to tie it at 52. Following a Xavier miss,
Jaxson Fried
Jaxson
Fried
6'6" | SF
Bondurant- Farrar | 2023
State
IA
scored inside to give the Jays a 54-52 lead.
Aidan Yamilkoski
Aidan
Yamilkoski
6'4" | SG
Xavier | 2023
State
IA
answered with an Ali Farokhmanesh-esque shot to give Xavier the 55-54 lead with 50 seconds to play, but then committed a foul on the ensuing Bluejay possession, fouling him out and giving the Jays a chance to take the lead.
Reed Pfaltzgraff
Reed
Pfaltzgraff
6'4"
Bondurant Farrar | 2024
IA
made both of his free throws to take a 56-55 lead. Xavier turned it over with 4 seconds left, Pfaltzgraff made two more free throws, and the Bluejays are your Class 3A state champions.
Bondurant-Farrar closes the season with a perfect 26-0 record. They were led by
Colby Collison
Colby
Collison
6'4" | SF
Bondurant-Farrar | 2023
State
IA
, who had 19 points.
Reed Pfaltzgraff
Reed
Pfaltzgraff
6'4"
Bondurant Farrar | 2024
IA
had 15, and
Jaxson Fried
Jaxson
Fried
6'6" | SF
Bondurant- Farrar | 2023
State
IA
chipped in 10. Fried and Cole Miller were voted onto the all-tournament team.
Xavier’s season ends with a 20-7 record. The Saints were led by
Aidan Yamilkoski
Aidan
Yamilkoski
6'4" | SG
Xavier | 2023
State
IA
, who had 17 points.
Tyler Netolicky
Tyler
Netolicky
6'8" | C
Xavier | 2024
State
IA
had 14,
Josef Lemker
Josef
Lemker
6'2" | SG
Xavier | 2023
State
IA
13, and
Joseph Bean
Joseph
Bean
6'3" | PG
Kennedy | 2024
State
IA
11 in the loss. The Saints will bring back Bean and Netolicky, and should be in contention in 3A again next season.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
Xavier | 12 | 13 | 17 | 13 | 55 |
Bondurant-Farrar | 11 | 13 | 13 | 21 | 58 |
Scoring
Xavier:
Aidan Yamilkoski
Aidan
Yamilkoski
6'4" | SG
Xavier | 2023
State
IA
17,
Tyler Netolicky
Tyler
Netolicky
6'8" | C
Xavier | 2024
State
IA
14,
Josef Lemker
Josef
Lemker
6'2" | SG
Xavier | 2023
State
IA
13,
Joseph Bean
Joseph
Bean
6'3" | PG
Kennedy | 2024
State
IA
11
Bondurant-Farrar:
Colby Collison
Colby
Collison
6'4" | SF
Bondurant-Farrar | 2023
State
IA
19,
Reed Pfaltzgraff
Reed
Pfaltzgraff
6'4"
Bondurant Farrar | 2024
IA
15,
Jaxson Fried
Jaxson
Fried
6'6" | SF
Bondurant- Farrar | 2023
State
IA
10, Cole Miller 8, Everett White 4,
Tanner Berggren
Tanner
Berggren
6'3" | SF
Bondurant-Farrar | 2024
State
IA
2
Team stats
Xavier: 20-51 FG (39.2%), 6-17 3P (35.3%), 9-17 FT (52.9%), 28 rebounds (8 offensive), 7 assists, 10 turnovers
Bondurant-Farrar: 18-39 FG (46.2%), 2-9 3P (22.2%), 20-26 FT (76.9%), 30 rebounds (3 offensive), 4 assists, 11 turnovers
MVP: 2023
Colby Collison
Colby
Collison
6'4" | SF
Bondurant-Farrar | 2023
State
IA
(Bondurant-Farrar) — 19 points (5-8 FG, 9-11 FT), 2 rebounds
All-tournament team:
Jaxson Fried
Jaxson
Fried
6'6" | SF
Bondurant- Farrar | 2023
State
IA
(Bondurant-Farrar),
Joseph Bean
Joseph
Bean
6'3" | PG
Kennedy | 2024
State
IA
(Xavier),
Matthew Noll
Matthew
Noll
6'7" | PF
Bishop Heelan | 2024
State
IA
(Heelan), Cole Miller (Bondurant-Farrar),
Aidan Yamilkoski
Aidan
Yamilkoski
6'4" | SG
Xavier | 2023
State
IA
(Xavier, captain)
4A Championship: #4 Valley 75, #3 Northwest 67
The path to the Class 4A championship for the next two years will very clearly be going through West Des Moines. Four sophomores in the starting lineup? No problem for this group, as their supreme talent and athleticism carried them to the Class 4A championship on Friday night, knocking off Waukee Northwest 75-67. Good luck, rest of the state.
These Tigers play well beyond their years. They’re disciplined defensively, efficient offensively, and have an overwhelming amount of length, athleticism, and talent. They suffocated Northwest’s stars, completely taking
Cade Kelderman
Cade
Kelderman
6'0" | PG
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
IA
out of the game, and making life difficult for
Pryce Sandfort
Pryce
Sandfort
6'7" | SF
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
#123
Nation
IA
throughout.
A tight game throughout the first 11 minutes was blown open late in the second quarter when Valley went on a 14-3 run to take a 32-22 lead, and Northwest never got back to closer than five points the rest of the way.
Xzavion Robinson
Xzavion
Robinson
6'1" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
was simply unstoppable, delivering one of the performances of the tournament with 28 points on 9-12 shooting.
Valley ends the season with a 21-5 record and the school’s third state championship.
Xzavion Robinson
Xzavion
Robinson
6'1" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
had 28 points to lead the way.
Curtis Stinson Jr
Curtis
Stinson Jr
6'4" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
. had 19 points,
Kiki Deng
Kiki
Deng
6'4" | SG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
had 12 points, and
Trevin Jirak
Trevin
Jirak
6'8" | C
Valley | 2025
State
IA
had 8. Sophomores accounted for 67 of their 75 points. They will be a formidable favorite each of the next two years. Stinson and Robinson were named to the all-tournament team, with Robinson being named cap
Northwest’s season ends with a 23-3 record. The Wolves were led by
Grant Tigges
Grant
Tigges
6'4" | SG
Waukee Northwest | 2024
State
IA
, who had 27 points. Pryce Sanndfort had 19 in his final high school game. Tigges is the only starter who will be back. Sandfort and
Cade Kelderman
Cade
Kelderman
6'0" | PG
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
IA
were named to the all-tournament team.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
Valley | 11 | 27 | 15 | 22 | 75 |
Northwest | 12 | 18 | 15 | 22 | 67 |
Scoring
Valley:
Xzavion Robinson
Xzavion
Robinson
6'1" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
28,
Curtis Stinson Jr
Curtis
Stinson Jr
6'4" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
. 19,
Kiki Deng
Kiki
Deng
6'4" | SG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
12,
Trevin Jirak
Trevin
Jirak
6'8" | C
Valley | 2025
State
IA
8,
Trevian Carson
Trevian
Carson
6'4" | SG
Valley | 2023
State
IA
5,
Chuck Epperly
Chuck
Epperly
6'0" | PG
Valley | 2023
State
IA
3
Northwest:
Grant Tigges
Grant
Tigges
6'4" | SG
Waukee Northwest | 2024
State
IA
27,
Pryce Sandfort
Pryce
Sandfort
6'7" | SF
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
#123
Nation
IA
19,
Cade Kelderman
Cade
Kelderman
6'0" | PG
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
IA
7,
Andrew Cose
Andrew
Cose
5'11" | PG
Waukee Northwest | 2024
State
IA
6,
Henry Manning
Henry
Manning
6'1" | SG
Waukee | 2023
State
IA
6, Sam Johnson 2
Team stats
Valley: 29-47 FG (61.7%), 7-14 3P (50%), 10-16 FT (62.5%), 26 rebounds (4 offensive), 11 assists, 9 turnovers
Northwest: 25-49 FG (51.0%), 9-19 3P (47.4%), 8-12 FT (66.7%), 22 rebounds (5 offensive), 10 assists, 9 turnovers
MVP: 2025
Xzavion Robinson
Xzavion
Robinson
6'1" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
(Valley) — 28 points (9-12 FG, 3-5 3P, 7-8 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Robinson was far and away the best player on the floor in this one. In constant attack mode, he was absolutely dominant offensively, scoring from all three levels and providing some major highglights.
All-tournament team:
Curtis Stinson Jr
Curtis
Stinson Jr
6'4" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
. (Valley),
Omaha Biliew
Omaha
Biliew
6'8" | SF
Waukee | 2023
State
IA
(Waukee),
Pryce Sandfort
Pryce
Sandfort
6'7" | SF
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
#123
Nation
IA
(Northwest),
Cade Kelderman
Cade
Kelderman
6'0" | PG
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
IA
(Northwest),
Xzavion Robinson
Xzavion
Robinson
6'1" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
IA
(Valley, captain)