Glenwood 67, Norwalk 58

Class 3A Quarterfinals

Glenwood 67, Norwalk 58

DES MOINES – Norwalk owned the opening of Tuesday afternoon’s second Class 3A quarterfinal.

After halftime, it was Glenwood’s game. The Rams flipped a noisy and thrilling No. 4 vs. No. 5 game at Wells Fargo Arena at intermission, turning a 40-22 deficit into a late lead and 67-58 win for its first semifinal appearance ever.

Norwalk impressed with an electric start, going up 17-3 inside the first six minutes of the game and led by as many as 20 points in the first half. All five starters chipped in at least five points and they shot 57 percent from the field. The script flipped after halftime, when Glenwood’s pressure, a boisterous crowd, and a cold streak limited the Warriors (22-3) to six made field goals and eight turnovers as the game got away from them.

Glenwood began scraping back in the third quarter, ending the frame on a 9-0 run fueled by senior guard Nate Mohr and freshman Ryan Blum, who finished with a team-high 17 points off the bench.

Glenwood took the lead back with under six minutes left in the fourth quarter, and Norwalk would only ever tie the game one more time as the No. 4 seed pulled away. Glenwood’s only other state tournament win came in 1952’s first round in Iowa City, and they last appeared at The Well in 2015.

Norwalk finished with three scorers in double figures, led by Luke Vaske’s 17 points, with posts Tyler Endres and Daniel Geistler adding 14 and 12, respectively.

The Rams will meet two-time defending champion Xavier, Cedar Rapids in Thursday’s 2 p.m. semifinals.

Quarterfinal Round – March 6

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

Glenwood 67, Norwalk 58 – Final | BOX SCORE

2:45 p.m.—Mount Pleasant vs. Waverly-Shell Rock

4:30 p.m.—Oskaloosa vs. Sergeant Bluff-Luton

Semifinal Round – March 8

2:00 p.m.—Xavier, Cedar Rapids vs. Glenwood