The Little Hawks could see some familiar faces at the state tournament this year. Three of the seven teams besides City in the Class 5A state bracket have already faced off with the team earlier this season.

In two of those games the Little Hawks had margin of victory of at least 18 points. The closest match up was between City and Waterloo West early in the season where City slipped away with a two point win. The Wahawks are on the other side of the state bracket so the only rematch the teams could have would be in the state championship. If the Little Hawks are to beat Kennedy tonight, they will face the winner of Waukee and Dowling Catholic who both have records of 20-3. That first round matchup is a rematch of just a few weeks ago when Waukee topped Dowling by one point. Of the similar teams they have faced, they either lost or had a smaller margin of victory than the Little Hawks, so on paper it looks as though City has a good chance of making it to the state tournament. However, with the emotions that flow in Wells Fargo Arena, anything can happen.

The Little Hawks first round state game is set to tip off in just a few hours. As the team prepares to take on Cedar Rapids Kennedy for the second time this season, the biggest key will be to play the same game they’ve executed all season. City has been dominate in almost every game this season and they should do the same today. Pre-game jitters are to be expected in a game with such high stakes, however the last time these two teams met a conference title was on the line, so they are no strangers to dealing with this kind of pressure. As always balanced scoring will be necessary as it is highly likely that the Cougars will have a tight defense on the Little Hawks leading scorer Haley Lorenzen ’14. For minute by minute coverage of the game, follow @thelittlehawk on twitter.

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Round 1:

During the first round of the Class 5A state tournament, the Little Hawks proved why they are No. 1 in the state. The team showed no mercy in their 68-34 victory over CR Kennedy. In the first quarter City shot lights-out while Kennedy struggled to keep up. Before the game I didn’t think the Cougars would prove to be a huge challenge for the Little Hawks based on the two teams’ previous meeting earlier this year. However, I did not expect City to come out shooting as well as they did. In the first quarter the team as a whole arguably shot the best they have all season. This kind of offensive dominance will be key for the rest of the state tournament as well.

During the game we saw more shots coming from players who are usually less offensively active such as Sam Blowers ’15 and Sara Blowers ’15, which added to the number of the Little Hawks’ offensive threats. Kiera Washpun’s ’14 31 point performance was by far her best this season as far as her ball handling and shot choices. She is well deserving of her recognition for tying the Class 5A state tournament record for points in a game. The team’s scoring performance yesterday will make Dowling’s job much harder on Friday as they cannot just count on Haley Lorenzen ’14 being the Little Hawks’ only shooting threat.

One thing the team will need to work on for the next round is keeping their game clean for the entire 32 minutes. During the first half the Little Hawks had very few turnovers and made the Cougars work to disrupt their offense. However, in the second half sloppy passes and miscommunications led to more scoring opportunities for Kennedy. A team like Dowling who has a larger point differential in their victories this season will definitely take advantage of these opportunities so that’s something City will need to be careful about.

Tomorrow’s match up will be an exciting one, as Dowling’s last two losses were only decided by at most two points. Of the similar opponents the two team’s have faced, both Dowling and City have taken the “W”. Dowling is definitely one of the toughest overall teams the Little Hawks have played this year. Fans will surely see a large battle on Friday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Round 2:

The Little Hawks’ 44-49 state semi final loss to West Des Moines Dowling was not an outcome most people were expecting. For a team who held their opponent from scoring for almost the entire first quarter, the result of today’s game was shocking.

From the beginning of the game it was obvious this game would be different from many City has played this season. With just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Little Hawks had only put five points on the board. There’s no doubt this semi final was a battle of two defenses. City’s defense held up pretty well throughout the first half, and were able to force several Dowling turnovers. In the third quarter the Maroons gained momentum on their end of the court. Their 11-0 run in the fourth quarter sealed the deal making the Little Hawks’ offensive urgency in the final seconds too little too late.

Besides the defensive fallout in the final quarter, City struggled offensively for most of the game as well. This is an issue the team hasn’t had in most of their games this season. While the Maroons were double and triple teaming Haley Lorenzen ’14 in the lane, other Little Hawks struggled to finish shots after the third quarter. Free throws were also an issue for the Little Hawks, while Dowling made most of theirs, City was unable to sink those crucial baskets.

To watch a team’s unblemished record be tarnished at such a crucial time was heart breaking, but today’s game was not representative of the success they’ve had this season as a whole. The first Class 5A team to achieve an undefeated regular season, a division championship, and record breaking careers are just a few of the many achievements this Little Hawk basketball team has seen this year. As an athlete myself, I know this loss is stinging the players right now. However, the team should hold their heads high and be proud of the many successes they’ve had this season.