Boys basketball team advances to their 10th consecutive state tournament
The boys basketball team improved to 21-2 in their 55-36 substate final win over Pleasant Valley on March 3.
March 3, 2020
Ten straight.
There is only one school in the state that has made 10 consecutive state tournaments in Iowa High School Basketball history and that is Iowa City West. Future Hall of Famer Steve Bergman and his team advanced to this year’s state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena with a 55-36 win over Pleasant Valley on March 3.
With no surprise, Pleasant Valley fell back into their zone in the first half in hopes to contain Even Brauns ’20 like most opponents will do the rest of the season. Tied at 10 a couple of minutes into the first quarter, three three-pointers from Tate Crane ’20 and Marcus Morgan ’21 put the Trojans up 19-10 going into the second.
The Trojans’ full-court press caused plenty of problems for Pleasant Valley in the second as West went on a 16-0 run to go up 26-10 and force a Spartan timeout with 5:39 left in the second. Jumpers from Tate Crane ’20 and Morgan closed out the half as West shot 13 for 18 in the first half to be up 32-13.
Pleasant Valley came out of the break in hope for a comeback as they scored the first seven points of the second half. Steve Bergman’s squad stayed calm, cool and collected as Bergman from the bench turned the substate final game into an opportunity for the Trojans to run their offense how he wanted it.
With 1:52 left in the third West found a way to get the ball to Brauns in the paint to go up 38-24. Joe Goodman ’20, Brauns, and Morgan found themselves on the line in the fourth to knock down some free throws to seal the deal. The Trojans’ never trailed as they secured their spot in Des Monies with a 55-36 win over Pleasant Valley. Morgan led in scoring with 17 points on the night as Brauns added 14 points.
The boys basketball team will play next week in Des Monies in the state tournament as they await a seed and an opponent.
