For First Time Since 2009, Notre Dame is Headed to State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>IOWA CITY -- In the first game of a Class 1A substate final doubleheader, Burlington, Notre Dame took care of business against Calamus-Wheatland, winning 63-53 to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2009. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Notre Dame, with a Division I player leading them in [player_tooltip player_id='1978106' first='Shay' last='Stephens'], will be the #4 seed at the state tournament and will face Belleuve in their opening round game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1978106"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a3ae8f6bb90"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">All things considered, Calamus-Wheatland did a really good job defensively on Stephens, holding him to 18 points. To his credit, he didn't force anything, instead looking to get his teammates involved and making the right plays. He shot 6-12 from the floor, and many players as talented as him would've taken twice as many shots as he did, open or not. The 6-5 lead guard is in complete control of the game on both ends of the floor, with his length making a major impact. In addition to his 18 points, he had 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3453714"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a3ae8f6bbfe"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Oleson was one of the beneficiaries of so much attention being paid to Stephens, finishing with a co-team-high 18 points on 7-13 shooting. A strong guard who can finish through contact at the rim, he does a nice job using that strong, physical frame to compete on the glass as well. He moves well without the ball in his hands, cutting to the rim for easy finishes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3453701"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a3ae8f6bc4a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kies had 12 points for the Nikes in the win, with his shooting ability allowing them to space the floor a bit and allow for some room for dribble penetration. He made only one 3-pointer in the game, but he was clearly a significant part of the scouting report, because Cal-Wheatland looked to run him off the line whenever they could. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2887794"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a3ae8f6bc93"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Warriors' leading scorer on the season battled foul trouble throughout this game, but still produced well, pouring in a co-team-high 14 points in the loss. A scrappy lefty who can finish through contact at the rim, he showed a willingness to post up smaller defenders and use his length, size, and physicality to score on the block. He's an active rebounder, pulling down 6 boards, and his length was a major asset on the defensive end, routinely getting into passing lanes and coming away with steals or tipping passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Brody Koch","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Calamus-Wheatland","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a3ae8f6bd3e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The senior guard was tough as nails, coming back from a scary looking fall in the second half to tie with Klatt for the team lead with 14 points. He was in constant attack mode, playing downhill and putting constant pressure on the defense. A tenacious on-ball defender who moves his feet well, he was a nuisance on that end of the floor as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->