The high school basketball season is over for the Algona Bulldogs after a class 3A state quarterfinal loss to Bondurant-Farrar 81-52 on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
The second quarter proved to be the turning point of the game, as the Blue Jays ripped off an 18-3 scoring run in four minutes, turning a 23-21 lead into a 41-24 advantage. Bondurant-Farrar had the hot hand in the second, making 9/15 field goal attempts and 4/6 three pointers in the period. Following the 18-3 run, Algona answered back with four straight points to trim the score to 41-28, but Blue Jay senior Tanner Berggren swished a three point ball to beat the buzzer before halftime and quell any Bulldog momentum.
Bondurant-Farrar Head Coach Travis Evans feels his team hit some very timely shots.
Algona Head Coach Jared Cecil says the game got away from the Bulldogs during the second quarter.
Algona sophomore Alex Manske felt the Bulldogs got caught watching the ball during the Blue Jay scoring run.
The game started very evenly early, as the teams came out trading baskets in the first quarter. The lead changed hands four times in the first as both teams shot the ball well. Three balls on back to back possessions by Manske and Bulldog senior Simon Feucht gave Algona an 8-6 lead, but the Blue Jays responded with a quick 8-0 run over the next two minutes, all coming off of points in the paint, taking a 14-8 lead. After eight minutes, Bondurant-Farrar would lead 16-14, keyed by an 11-5 advantage on the glass and an 8-0 lead in second chance points, something that would continue to plague Algona into the second quarter.
After Bondurant-Farrar expanded their lead to 21 points early in the second half, Algona made another quick 5-0 run on a three point play by senior Tristin Larsen and two more free throws by senior Caden Weber, but the Blue Jays continued to answer. Algona did not string more than three points in a row together for the rest of the game. Bondurant-Farrar made 9 of their 16 field goal attempts in the third for a 21-12 scoring edge, then outscored Algona 16-12 in the fourth quarter.
Manske feels Algona made some adjustments, but dug themselves too big of a hole early in the game.
Bondurant-Farrar finished the game shooting 48.5% on field goals and 37.5% on threes. Senior Cole Miller, who came into the game averaging three points, led all scorers with 18, doing it on an efficient 8/11 from the field.
Coach Evans knew right away Miller was in for a big afternoon.
Teammate Colby Collison added 15 points and eight boards, while Jaxon Fried posted 12 points with seven rebounds. The Blue Jays finished with a 40-30 lead in rebounding. According to Fried, everybody had a role to play in the win.
Weber scored 13 to lead Algona while Manske added 12. Larsen and sophomore Ben Helmers both added 9 points. Weber hopes this Algona team set the stage for future state runs.
A couple other big factors in the win for Bondurant-Farrar were a 50-24 advantage on points in the paint, a 20-4 edge in second chance points, and the fact that the Blue Jays only turned the basketball over three times. Coach Cecil says Bondurant-Farrar created some tough matchups.
Bondurant-Farrar stays perfect with a record of 24-0, as the Blue Jays will face North Polk on Thursday afternoon at 2:00 P.M. Algona ends the season with a record of 17-8 and their first state appearance since 1999. Coach Cecil says nobody is ready for the season to end.
Weber says it was the team’s goal to get to this point.
Three of Algona’s five starters are set to return next season, as Helmers, Manske, and Landon Welp are all underclassmen. Coach Cecil does not want going to state to be a one-time event for Algona.
Seniors Simon Feucht, Caden Weber, Tristin Larsen, and Carlos Gomez all made their mark on Algona basketball according to Cecil.
In other class 3A quarterfinal games from Tuesday, North Polk topped Newton 49-31, Bishop Heelan beat Marion 68-59, and Cedar Rapids Xavier eliminated Des Moines Hoover 49-38. Class 3A resumes on Thursday from Wells Fargo Arena with the state semifinal round.
