MOUNT PLEASANT

The clash for the district crown between Mid-Prairie and No. 10 West Burlington turned into a battle too closely contested to be held to just four quarters.

Overtime was needed to decide the victor and while the Golden Hawks took a one-point lead early on in the extra quarter, the Falcons answered back with a significant run to cement their win and advance to the substate finals.

“Just came down to defense and rebounding, but credit to [West Burlington]. They hit shots when they needed to, tough shots, and ultimately, ran away with it,” Mid-Prairie head coach Daren Lambert said after West Burlington (21-3) defeated Mid-Prairie (18-5) in OT, 71-63, in the 2A District 9 Championships at Mount Pleasant on Feb. 25. 

Mid-Prairie, coming in as the underdogs against a top 10 team in Class 2A, kept pace with West Burlington in the first quarter and then went on a tide turning 20-9 run in the second quarter, capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Hudson Ehrenfelt, to go into the half leading by nine.

“First quarter started out a little slow, where defense was pretty good and offense was a little slow to get going,” coach Lambert said. “Did a great job in the second quarter of being efficient offensively and getting stops.”

While the Hawks carried the momentum through two quarters, they knew West Burlington would not go down quietly. In the third frame, the Falcons whittled down their deficit to four and eventually took the lead thanks to opening up the final frame with a 8-2 run.

“The game flow kind of swung [West Burlington’s] way in that third quarter for various reasons,” coach Lambert said. “We talked at half time about how we have to expect a punch is going to be thrown at us.”

Not backing down after losing the lead, Mid-Prairie went on a 9-6 run to tie the game. Capping off this run was senior Brady Weber grabbing his own rebound, making a successful basket while being fouled, and swishing in the subsequent shot from the free-throw line.

“That’s the type of kid he is. That’s the competitor he is. He does it in every sport that he plays,” coach Lambert said about Weber’s 3-point sequence in the fourth quarter. “He was definitely the shortest one out there on that floor, but he was the toughest one in that moment, in a lot of moments tonight.”

Weber ended his final game as a Golden Hawk with a double double, 14 points and 10 rebounds.

After Weber tied the game late in the fourth, both teams exchanged one more basket each to send the contest into OT knotted up at 59-59.   

To begin the extra period, West Burlington scored a quick two points but a 3-ball from Bryce Henry put the Hawks up by one.

A terrific shot from Henry (who led the team with 18 and 12 boards to earn a double double) ended up being the only successful OT field goal from the Hawks as the Falcons went on a 10-1 run to capture victory and end Mid-Prairie’s season.

“It’s unfortunate, it has to end tonight, but overall, proud of what they showed in the mentality and the toughness that they show throughout the season, and tonight,” coach Lambert said about his team.

Fueling the offense in the win for West Burlington was Mason Watkins.

The all-state senior, who was held to just four points in the first half, came alive in the second half to end the night leading all scorers with 29. Watkins capped off his impressive night with a run-away dunk in OT to put the Falcons up by six.

“It’s an all-state player. He’s very difficult. He demands so much attention,” coach Lambert said about Watkins. “Credit to Mason. He hit some tough shots with three guys on him and some crucial moments there. I thought we did execute our game plan, sometimes you got to give credit to the other side.”

West Burlington went on to battle Grand View Christian in the substate finals last Saturday where the Falcons (despite a 30-point performance from Watkins) were defeated, 74-57, to draw their season to a close.

With Mid-Prairie ending its season in the district championship they finish with 18 wins (the most since 2021-22) and in the offseason they say goodbye to seniors Weber, Ace Peck, Keegan Bauwens, Traevin Gugel, Conner Wiles, and Landon Kos

“We talked about how all six of those seniors left the jersey in a better place,” coach Lambert said about his seniors while reflecting on the season.

“Playing in a district final and 18 wins, it’s a tremendous season, and it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of time, and these guys brought it, and the underclassmen did as well. It’s a team that will always be remembered for their toughness and just their ability to bring the best out of each other and compete night in and night out.”

GAME STATS

MID-PRAIRIE 63, W. BURLINGTON 71

Mid-Prairie     14  20   12   13   4 -- 61

W. Burlington 16   9    17   17  12--  71

Mid-Prairie leading scorers: Bryce Henry 18, Brady Weber 14, Hudson Ehrenfelt 8

W. Burlington leading scorers: Mason Watkins 29, Quincy Collins 16, Kobe Davis 12

Mid-Prairie leading rebounders: Henry 12, Brady Weber 10, Brooks Weber 4

W. Burlington leading rebounders: Ayden Figuereo 13, Quincy Collins 9, Watkins 8