What we learned from Ballard's 58-44 victory over Decorah in the 4A girls state quarterfinals
It took a few minutes for Ballard to get warmed up against Decorah in the Class 4A quarterfinals of the Iowa girls state basketball tournament.
The fourth-seeded Bombers fell behind the fifth-seeded Vikings 15-2 out of the gate.
But once they switched from their traditional man defense to a 2-3 zone and started hitting shots, there was no stopping them. Ballard outscored Decorah 48-27 over the final three quarters to pull off an impressive 58-44 comeback win at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
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"The first quarter was kind of a wake-up call," said Ballard senior guard Lily Hillebrand. "Then it was like 'OK, this team (Decorah) is a good team and we've got to play strong, play good defense and get rebounds.' Being in two championship games in a row, our coaches know what to say and keep us chipping away."
Ballard will take a 19-3 record into Thursday's 4A semifinals against top-seed Dallas Center-Grimes, a 57-39 winner over Glenwood during Tuesday's first 4A semifinal. Decorah finished at 21-3.
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Here is what we learned from Ballard's convincing victory over Decorah.
A defensive switch pays off
When Decorah went on its hot run to start the game, Ballard was in its traditional man defense.
The Bombers put together the top defense in 4A with its outstanding man-to-man play, but it clearly wasn't working against a talented Viking team led by explosive guards Yazmeen Whitsitt and Bryar Duwe. So Ballard coach Kelly Anderson switched to a 2-3 zone they label a "52 zone."
Decorah never found a way to solve it, scoring just 11 points over the next two quarters and shooting just 30% from the field to finish 19 points below its 4A-leading scoring average of 63.4 points.
"That was the difference in the game," Anderson said. "That first quarter they hit everything and we weren't able to stop them, so we had to do something. We just don't play zone, so for them to come out in the spur of the moment like that was just fantastic."
A big key to the zone's success was having athletic 6-foot-1 forward Alliyah Thompson in the middle. Thompson blocked seven shots and altered several others to force Decorah into being a one-dimensional offense for several long stretches.
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"We knew from the start defense was really going to be a big part of our game," Thompson said. "I feel we work so well together, especially when we went to that 52. I feel like that really switched the tide of the game. We all understood what we needed to do and that translated into offense."
Ballard's transition offense was flawless
After she was done blocking shots or grabbing rebounds Thompson quickly got the ball out in transition and it resulted in several easy baskets for the Bombers.
Reserve guard Raegan Loewe was the main beneficiary of Thompson's outlet passing. Loewe beat Decorah down the floor several times for layups, finishing with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and a 3-of-4 effort at the line.
"We were just connecting the whole time," Loewe said. "I was able to finish and it's all because of (Thompson)."
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Thompson also scored a couple baskets in transition. She had an off-night shooting, but still ended up with 12 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and her huge block total.
Everyone contributes
Ballard received valuable contributions from several players during its comeback.
Kiley Calvert joined Loewe as a big weapon off the bench, hitting two 3-pointers and converting an offensive putback to finish with 8 points. Lily Beall, a 3A All-Tournament selection last year, continued to play well at Wells Fargo, totaling 7 points, eight rebounds and two assists and hitting four big free throws down the stretch to help ice the game.
Paige Noe only scored 2 points, but she contributed five rebounds and assists apiece. Hillebrand provided the lift Ballard needed offensively in the first half, draining four 3-pointers and scoring all 12 of her points over the first two quarters to help the Bombers rally to tie the score at 23 by halftime.
"I had the hot hand," Hillebrand said. "I was open, my teammates were getting me the ball."
Whitsitt led Decorah with 17 points. Duwe added 12 points and eight rebounds and Haley Gossman 10 points and rebounds apiece.
Top-ranked Mustangs up next
Ballard will face a familiar foe in Thursday's semifinals.
The Bombers have played DCG several times during the regular season over the past several years and they met in the 4A state semifinals during Ballard's 2021 state championship run. Ballard won the season opener between the two teams in November, 56-48.
"We're really excited about that," Thompson said. "We know they're going to be coming out for revenge, but we know what we need to get done. We're ready."
Ballard and DCG are set to tip off at 5 p.m. Thursday back at Wells Fargo Arena.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ballard girls rally past Decorah in 4A state quarterfinals, 58-44
