It’s been four years since Johnston last made it to the Class 4A championship game in the Iowa high school boys state basketball tournament.
But that’s where the Dragons’ journey ended this season on Friday, March 13, with Johnston falling to Cedar Falls, 56-48, who claimed the title with an undefeated 25-0 record.
Johnston jumped out to an early lead as Nicare Cavil kicked off the scoring with a 3-pointer, and he got hot after that. The Dragons junior scored five baskets – on six shots – from beyond the arc, and he collected 17 points in the first quarter alone.
Cedar Falls, on the other hand, experienced an abnormal opening quarter. The Tigers scored seven points but only one field goal. Jaydon Kimbrough sank a 3-pointer – in response to Cavil’s first – and the other four points came from Will Gerdes at the foul line.
Behind a double-digit performance from Cavil, Johnston ended the first quarter with a 22-7 lead.
The Dragons’ leading scorer took a backseat in the second quarter, letting teammate Emri Jones take control instead. Jones went four-of-five on 3-point attempts, and he scored all 12 of Johnston’s second-quarter points. Cedar Falls managed more points in the frame – outscoring the Dragons, 14-12 – with six of those points coming off free throws.
Johnston out-rebounded Cedar Falls, came away with more steals and turned the ball over fewer times over the first two quarters. But the Dragons also were called for 11 fouls to the Tigers’ two – including a technical against Jones – and those extra trips to the line helped Cedar Falls cut into Johnston’s lead, which stood 34-21 at halftime.
The undefeated, top-seeded Tigers weren’t going down without a fight, though. Cedar Falls came out of the locker room and scored nine unanswered points. Johnston took over four minutes to get on the board in the second half, with the Dragons not picking up any points on their first seven shots.
Cedar Falls outscored Johnston, 15-3, in the third, but the Dragons still hung to a 37-36 lead heading into the final frame.
Kimbrough knocked down a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game. Cedar Falls extended its lead to five points, and then the two teams went back-and-forth exchanging the lead for most of the fourth.
Cedar Falls pulled away in the final minutes of the game, building up to a nine-point advantage with under a minute left on the clock. Cavil and Joshua Jenkins hit late shots to keep it close, but it was too little too late to get past the Tigers.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Cedar Falls beats Johnston, claims IHSAA state basketball title
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