Glenwood 66, Oskaloosa 62

Class 3A Championship

Glenwood 66, Oskaloosa 62

DES MOINES – A state title is finally going back to Glenwood. In one of the most thrilling, noisy, and up-tempo championship games of the last decade, the Rams (25-2) escaped fellow first-time finalist Oskaloosa for a 66-62 win on Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

A massive crowd took in the back-and-forth contest, as the lead changed 13 times and score was level 11 times before Glenwood had claimed their final advantage and made two late free throws to clinch the title. Oskaloosa and Glenwood were tied at halftime (38-38) and after the third quarter (51-51), so a tense finish felt right, and a flow of dunks, 3-pointers, and standout effort delivered.

Oskaloosa was led by Jarad Kruse’s 21 points, while Cole Henry added 16, and star sophomore Xavier Foster finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots in defeat. Oskaloosa’s seven previous visits to state never included a final, and four were from 1923-30. Coach Ryan Parker’s squad stood up to the environment, shooting a scorching 82 percent in the first quarter and 68 percent for the first half. They cooled after intermission, but still hit eight 3-pointers and had several rim-rattling finishes by Henry and Foster.

Glenwood’s win completed a program turnaround, as coach Curt Schulte brought a freshman class that appeared in Des Moines in 2015 full circle to Friday’s championship. Andrew Blum hit four 3-pointers and recorded a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds to earn All-Tournament Team captain honors. Christian Stanislav, Nate Mohr, and his freshman brother Ryan Blum all finished in double-digits scoring, too. After being down 20 points to Norwalk in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, raising up a title trophy was sweet for a group that raised their program and community on Friday.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Nate Mohr, Glenwood

Jarad Kruse, Oskaloosa

Matthew Mims, Xavier, Cedar Rapids

Xavier Foster, Oskaloosa

Andrew Blum, Glenwood (captain)

TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Quarterfinal Round – March 6

Xavier, Cedar Rapids 67, Marion 60 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Glenwood 67, Norwalk 58 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Waverly-Shell Rock 59, Mount Pleasant 51  – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Oskaloosa 63, Sergeant Bluff-Luton 47 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Semifinal Round – March 8

Glenwood 69, Xavier, Cedar Rapids 63 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Oskaloosa 48, Waverly-Shell Rock 45 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Consolation Round – March 9, 10:30 a.m.

Xavier, Cedar Rapids 60, Waverly-Shell Rock 50 – Final | BOX SCORE | GAME STORY

Championship Round – March 9, 6:30 p.m.

Glenwood 66, Oskaloosa 62 – Final | BOX SCORE | GLENWOOD PRESS CONFERENCE | OSKALOOSA PRESS CONFERENCE