By Sam Parsons
The Montezuma Bravettes made the trip to Norwalk High School on Wednesday for the 1A Region 8 Championship against the CAM Cougars. It was the program’s 5th trip to the region championship in the last 6 seasons, though they were seeking their first state tournament bid since 2021.
The matchup had all the promise of a great game: the Bravettes (19-4) were ranked 9th in the state in class 1A in the final rankings from the IGHSAU, while the Cougars (21-2) were ranked 8th. The Cougars boasted a senior-laden group: all 5 members of their starting lineup were seniors, led by a likely all-state selection in Eva Steffensen. The Bravettes had a younger squad, with two senior starters, but they had played the more difficult schedule in the regular season, and that proved to be a difference maker for the team.
The game started in dubious fashion for the Bravettes; the Cougars used their exceptionally fast approach to their offense to jump out to an early 11-2 lead a few minutes into the game, and they were knocking down 3-pointers at a higher rate than they were used to. The Cougars led 19-9 after the first quarter and looked poised to knock off Montezuma on their way to their first state tournament appearance in 5 years.
However, the Bravettes showed stellar resilience, and they bounced back in strong fashion in the 2nd quarter. Senior Jadyn Sharer got cooking from downtown, knocking down multiple 3-pointers on her way to a 20 point outing, and the Bravettes found Shiressa Wetering in the post for a few good looks as she finished the night with 13 points. The Bravettes were able to slice and dice through the Cougar press, and defensively, they made adjustments late in the 1st quarter that kept the Cougar offense mostly quiet from then on. Steffensen had an abnormally quiet night, scoring 7 points on 1/10 shooting after averaging over 21 ppg on 53% shooting during the season; a credit to the Bravettes’ defensive performance. By the end of the 1st half, Montezuma was all the way back into the game, flipping the 1st quarter score on its ear, and it was tied 28-28.
The Bravettes continued to roll in the second half with their improved play on both ends of the floor. Claire Erselius knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Sharer stayed hot from the outside as well, and the Bravettes continued to take care of the ball. Junior guard Ellen Cook, as the primary ball-handler, committed 0 turnovers on the night. Late in the game, with the Bravettes nursing a lead, the Cougars resorted to the foul game, frequently sending Cook to the line, and she delivered with an 8/10 performance at the charity stripe to finish with 13 points on the night. The game ended with the Bravettes winning 60-47, punching their ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 2021.
Montezuma (20-4) enters the state tournament as the #8 seed, with their first matchup pitting them against #1 ranked North Linn (23-1). The two teams met last year in the region championship round, with North Linn getting the win 69-40. Montezuma’s matchup with North Linn is scheduled for 1:30pm next Wednesday (2/28), and it will be covered on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com. Sports broadcasts are available for free playback online at soundcloud.com/kboe-kmzn-sports.
