Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

CEDAR RAPIDS – West High gave a quick glance at the burgeoning celebration before exiting the floor.

Given their youth, it is easy to envision the Trojans doing the celebrating a year from now.

“I see that, for sure,” West High junior Ava Frese said after the Class 5A 11^th ranked Trojans were eliminated by No. 6 Cedar Rapids Prairie, 61-40, in a girls’ basketball regional final Tuesday night at Prairie High School. “We’re going to be hungry. We’re going to start prepping tomorrow. We’re ready. We’re hungry. We want it so bad. You can expect a lot from us next year.”

With four juniors and a sophomore in its starting lineup, West High (16-8) got within a game of its first trip to the state tournament since 2021.

Standing in the way was a Prairie bunch that lost its regional final a year ago before hiring five-time state championship coach Bruce Dall away from Dike-New Hartford.

“They’re big, they’re physical, they play with an edge,” West High Coach Nate Frese said. “Several of them have been playing together for I don’t know how many years. I have seen them since they were in fifth grade. They are a very connected unit. They know their strengths.”

West High stayed within striking distance throughout the first two quarters, but Prairie (20-4) scored the last five points of the first half to extend its lead to 30-21 at the intermission before opening the third frame with a 7-0 burst.

“I think we lost our confidence,” Ava Frese said. “Usually we’re very confident when we shoot the ball and when we play defense. We trust ourselves, we trust our teammates and when things started going downhill, we just kind of slow down and our energy falls.”

Grace Fincham led the Trojans with 16 points, while fellow junior Kate Van Waning drilled West High’s only two three-point baskets of the game and finished with eight points.

Frese chipped in six.

KeaOnna Worley scored 19 points and Asia Beale added 16 for Prairie, which opens its first state tournament berth since 2020 as a No. 6 seed against third-seeded Waukee Northwest (18-4) Monday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

West High graduates just three senior reserves — Sophie Bodin, Ava Bruxvoort and Makayla Bryant — from a roster of 14 players.

“We have got a lot to look forward to,” Nate Frese said. “Ten conference wins this year. 15-9 overall. It was a lot of fun. That is what we tried to talk about and that ‘this doesn’t define you.’ we left it out on the floor as best as we could every single game. I’m really proud of them for playing that way.”

West High                12   9    9   10  –  40

CR Prairie                 17  13  19  12  –  61

West High (40) – Ava Frese 1 4-5 6, Kate Van Waning 3 0-0 8, Abby Neumiller 1 0-0 2, Grace Fincham 5 6-6 16, Sasha Baldwin 1 2-2 4, Elle Barnett 0 0-0 0, Lauryn Hynek 1 2-3 4, Ava Bruxvoort 0 0-0 0, Taleen Rahhal 0 0-0 0, Sophie Bodin 0 0-0 0, Makayla Bryant 0 0-0 0, Totals 12 14-16 40.

Cedar Rapids Prairie (61) – Nevaeh Diaz-Doolin 3 0-0 7, KeaOnna Worley 6 5-8 19, Brynlie Hadenfeldt 4 3-4 12, Emily Larsen 3 0-0 7, Asia Beale 5 5-8 16, Presley Estrada 0 0-0 0, Kennady Johnson 0 0-0 0, Brecken Lechtenberg 0 0-0 0, Malena Daville 0 0-0 0, Kylie Wachtl 0 0-0 0, Totals 21 13-20 61.

Three-point goals – West 2 (Van Waning 2), Prairie 6 (Hadenfeldt 1, Beale 1, Worley 2, Larsen 1, Diaz-Doolin 1). Total fouls — West 14, Prairie 13. Fouled out — None.

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