Five Takeaways: Norwalk 80, Gilbert 60

<p>GRIMES --- A high-flying first half turned into a runaway victory Tuesday for Norwalk in an 80-60 win over Gilbert to claim the Class 3A Substate 7 crown at Dallas Center-Grimes High School to earn a berth into next week's state tournament.</p> <p>Bowen Born scored 41 points while Tyler Endres had 20 points and 16 rebounds for Norwalk, who led 37-35 at halftime while weathering seven first-half 3-pointers from Gilbert. The Tigers struggled after that initial onslaught, going more than six minutes to finish the third quarter without a field goal.</p> <p>Gilbert scored seven points in the fourth quarter's first minute to pull within six, but Norwalk pulled away late.</p> <p><strong>Team scoring</strong></p> <p>Gilbert - 22 13 6 19 - 60</p> <p>Norwalk - 18 19 17 26</p> <p><strong>Individual scoring</strong></p> <p>Gilbert: Matt Ockey 16, Will Turner 13, Matt Barragy 5, Tony Terrones 8, Jeff Rudman 3, Ben Simodynes 2</p> <p>Norwalk: Bowen Born 41, Tyler Endres 20, Tyler Johnson 7, Sam Eggers 5, Carson Raper 3, Scott Anderson 2, Kendall Phipps 2</p> <p><strong>Born to score</strong></p> <p>The state's eighth-leading scorer did not disappoint Tuesday night in living up to his reputation. Bowen Born shrugged off a somewhat-slow start to pour in 41 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter - most coming at the free-throw line - to help get Norwalk over the finish line against a Gilbert team that threatened to make things interesting early in the frame. Born, our No. 2 in 2020, has a great handle and a flair for clever finishes at the rim. He struggled to connect from distance (2 of 9), but showed a quick and smooth release along with plenty of confidence to pull the trigger from all over the floor. He'll be a preseason contender for Mr. Basketball next season.</p> <p><strong>Tough Tigers to tame</strong></p> <p>While the offense went cold in the third quarter, Gilbert's offense in the first half - and the opening minute of the fourth quarter - was a lot of fun to watch. The Tigers spread Norwalk out, and were able to drain 3s, connecting on seven in the first half. They poured in 22 points in the first quarter in what was a wildly exciting first 8 minutes. They also turned defense into offense to add to what was a great game plan that just ran out of steam in the second half as Norwalk was able to slow the pace some and limit the good looks Gilbert got</p> <p><strong>Ockey a budding HOIC star</strong></p> <p>Already Gilbert's leading scorer at 15 points per game, junior Matt Ockey showed why he'll be one of the Heart of Iowa Conference's top players as a senior when next winter rolls around with his play against Norwalk. The 5-foot-11 guard hit two clutch 3s at the end of the first half to help keep the Tigers close, then, after Norwalk had begun to pull away, canned a 3, got a steal and then a layup to make Gilbert's comeback attempt briefly viable to start the fourth quarter. He uses his quickness well on both ends of the floor, harassing on defenses and shot-hunting on offense.</p> <p><strong>Endres hard to stop</strong></p> <p>Tyler Endres' future is on the gridiron as the 6-foot-7, 285-pounder has signed on to play football with the Iowa Hawkeyes, but he showed Tuesday that he's hard to handle on the hardcourt as well. His size and strength was a constant issue for Gilbert, and he tallied 20 points and 16 rebounds. He's what kept Norwalk close in the first half as Gilbert's barrage of 3s rained down. He'll be a problem at Wells Fargo Arena next week.</p> <p><strong>Norwalk a contender?</strong></p> <p>Norwalk will be a tough out in Des Moines next week, most notably because of Born. Any player capable of filling it up and getting red-hot like Born can is a player capable of carrying his team to monster victories. Three of the Warriors' four losses came on the road while the fourth was against Class 4A Des Moines North, which was a substate runner-up. They're talented and experienced.</p>