Behind a Papcun 40-Burger, Norwalk Cruises into Substate Final

Norwalk cruised past freshman phenom [player_tooltip player_id='3353853' first='Roman' last='Henry'] and visiting Sioux City West on Friday night, winning 81-52, to advance to Tuesday night's substate final where they'll face Dowling Catholic. The winner will advance to the Class 4A state tournament. Below we take a look at some of the standout performers from both Sioux City West and Norwalk.    Papcun is one of the state's most improved players this season, and he showcased his full offensive arsenal against the Wolverines, dropping 40 points on efficient shooting. The 6-2/6-3 wing can handle it well, has great body control around the rim, and is a pure shooter who can knock down shots from deep both on balance and off-balance or out of rhythm. He has really improved as a ball-handler and shot creator, and he absolutely dominated the game on Friday night. In addition to his work offensively, he was a menace on the defensive end, routinely getting into passing lanes and getting his hands on passes to go the other way. A dominant two-way performance from the rising junior.     A strong, intelligent lead guard, Pelzer didn't need to do much scoring against the Wolverines with Papcun dropping 40, but he attacked when the opportunity presented itself and showed that he can finish through contact at a high level. He's a skilled ball-handler and playmaker who sees the floor well and he likes to get his teammates involved. On the defensive end, he moves his feet and puts pressure on opposing ball-handlers by beating them to their spots and using his quick hands.     A 6-5/6-6 forward, Abbott played really well on both ends of the floor against West. He protected the rim defensively, altering shots and doing a nice job of staying vertical and contesting shots at the bucket. He showed good hands as a roll man, collecting passes, keeping the ball high, and finishing with soft touch at the rim. He had 12 points in the win.     I was really excited to get a chance to see Henry finally play live, and there were certainly enough flashes of brilliance there to see what all the hype is about. He is a legitimate 6-4, and his size and length can be a major problem for teams. He handles it well and is a talented shotmaker who can knock down shots off any type of platform. He has body control around the rim and can finish at odd angles. Defensively, he has good hands, poking the ball away from opposing ball-handlers on multiple occasions. He may have been pressing, knowing that West was probably outmatched, and there were some questionable shot decisions throughout the game, but there is absolutely no denying how talented this young man is, and I'm really looking forward to watching how he develops over the next three seasons. He had 21 points in the loss.     Another talented freshman at West, Merrigan got off to a quick start in this game, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter before cooling down a bit. A 6-4/6-5 forward, he showed some good timing and instincts as a shot blocker on a few different occasions, as well as the ability to hedge on screens and get back into position. In addition to his work from distance, he showed good footwork, patience, and touch on some of his post touches, finishing with 12 points. The Wolverines have a really nice young core to be excited about with Merrigan and Henry.

Norwalk cruised past freshman phenom Roman Henry Roman Henry 6'4" | PG/CG Sioux City West | 2029 IA and visiting Sioux City West on Friday night, winning 81-52, to advance to Tuesday night's substate final where they'll face Dowling Catholic. The winner will advance to the Class 4A state tournament. Below we take a look at some of the standout performers from both Sioux City West and Norwalk.