DES MOINES -- For the Harlan Community boys basketball team, deja vu at Wells Fargo Arena has become a cruel, fickle lady.
Unfortunately, that has meant more heartbreak than happiness for the Cyclones since winning it all back in 2006.
The latest round of misfortune struck Thursday night when a last-minute rally fell short, a potential game-winning shot rimmed out and HCHS lost to Norwalk 48-45 in a Class 3-A State Tournament semifinal.
The third-ranked and third-seeded Cyclones dropped to 23-3 overall going into Saturday's consolation final versus Carroll, while No. 7-ranked and second-seeded Norwalk (24-2) advanced to the championship game, where the Warriors were blistered by Sioux City Heelan, 77-42.
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The Cyclones trailed 46-39 as the clock ticked under :30 left, but still managed to flirt with victory after Michael Kaufmann and Jeff Hastert drilled consecutive 3-pointers in a matter of just 10 seconds. In between those shots, HCHS forced a five-second call to get the ball back, and nearly got another one after Hastert's fourth trifecta of the game made it 46-45.
Instead, Norwalk got the ball inbounded, HCHS fouled and Matt Dermody hit 1-of-2 free throws with :15.8 to go, setting the stage for a frantic finish.
As the Cyclones worked the ball quickly downcourt, Hastert found Willie Baughman for an open '3' from the left wing. Baughman's shot looked good all the way before rolling in and out with about six seconds left. HCHS senior Jacob Schaben gathered the rebound and put up a 10-footer that was also off the mark.
Norwalk came up with the loose ball and sophomore Jake Logan was fouled. Even though the game clock was inexplicably allowed to expire and the horn sounded, officials agreed to put :02.5 back on the clock.
Logan, who earlier made both ends of a clutch 1-and-1 at the line, hit the first free throw and missed the second. Baughman got the rebound, but with the Cyclones out of timeouts, could only take a dribble and heave a three-quarter court prayer that fell short at the buzzer.
Norwalk head coach Chris Larson couldn't even watch the desperation attempt that led to the Warriors' first-ever trip to the championship finals.
"Can I tell you the truth? I just sat there," he said. "All my assistant coaches stood up . . . I just waited to listen and I was hoping the cheers were coming from behind me and not from the other side.
"I'm proud of our kids. I think the world of Harlan (and) Coach Osborn. I think they do a terrific job, and we're glad that we lucked one out."
Baughman, whose diving touchdown catch (on a pass from Hastert) lifted the Cyclones to a last-minute win in the 2008 football playoffs, won't remember his 65-foot attempt nearly as long as the 20-footer that would have given HCHS a one-point lead with precious little time remaining.
"I thought I had it," he said. "It felt good, it looked good - just rimmed out, I guess."
It was the kind of shot that found its way through the net for the Cyclones in 2006, when they won dramatic finishes in both the semifinal and championship games. Since then, good karma has eluded Harlan at Wells Fargo Arena as the Cyclones have placed third, second and now fourth in 3A after Saturday's consolation loss to Carroll (see separate story).
"Coach (Osborn) said that in 2004 and 2006 we got some breaks, so maybe the state (tournament) is just returning some favors," Baughman said. "The last three years have been real hard, but you can't do anything about it."
Just like last year's state title game loss to Dubuque Wahlert - won on Eric May's last-second 35-foot shot - the Cyclones conducted a stirring last-minute rally against Norwalk. But just like last year they were denied in the end, marking three straight years HCHS has lost a state tourney game that came down to the last shot - or in previous cases, the last nano-second.
"You talk about snake-bitten right now," Osborn said. "I've said I'm spoiled and all that stuff, but you know what? We work pretty hard. Our guys work hard (and) our coaching staff works hard. We've deserved a little better than what's happened the last three trips down here.
"Willie's shot was in and out. The thing's there. You can't get much closer than what it was."
Even battle:
In a game that featured three ties and 16 lead changes, the final statistics were every bit as close as the score would indicate.
* Both teams shot exactly 16-of -34 from the field for 47 percent.
* HCHS made 9-of-20 from 3-point range; Norwalk 8-of-20.
* Rebounds, 21-19; turnovers, 12 to 13 - both in favor of Norwalk. Assists, 10 to 10.
Through three quarters, neither team led by more than four points as HCHS switched between a triangle-and-two and diamond-and-one defense and Norwalk stayed mostly with man-to-man.
"They think they play the best defense in the state; we kind of pride ourselves that we play the best defense in the state, so you knew it was going to be a battle of two counter-punchers going back and forth, and that's what it was," Larson said. "They made some big shots; we made some big shots. I thought it was just a terrific game to watch."
The Cyclones' game plan was to shut down the scoring of 6-7 senior Alex Dorr (20.7 ppg., 9.5 rpg) and 6-6 senior Matt Dermody (11.9 ppg.) using Jeffrey White and Jeff Hastert as the primary defenders. For the most part, they succeeded.
Dermody took only one shot all night and scored his only two points on late-game free throws. Dorr (8 points, 7 rebounds) scored the first points of the game on a putback, then added a long 3-pointer and a three-point play off another offensive board in third quarter.
"Jeffrey White and Jeff Hastert's defense was phenomenal," Osborn noted.
Other players stepped up for the Warriors, however, including senior reserve Adam Seibert, who averages 2.7 ppg. but hit back-to-back 3's as part of a hot shooting stretch for both teams early in the second quarter. HCHS outscored Norwalk 11-10 during the first four minutes of the period, but neither team scored the final 4:00 before the half.
Osborn pointed out that Seibert was a 25 percent shooter from beyond the arc, having made 6-of-24 prior to state. "He was 2-for-3 on the night," Osborn said. "Give him credit. He hit two big shots in a big game."
The real zone buster for the Warriors was senior guard Jared Stogdill, who the Cyclones knew could shoot it. After making just 1-of-5 treys in the first half, Stogdill nailed 3-of-5 in the second half to finish with a team-high 12 points. Jacob Petersen also hit a '3' in the third quarter and tallied nine points and four assists.
"We knew we had to identify (Stogdill)," Osborn said. "A couple times we lost him along the baseline and that hurt. He stepped up."
Stretch run:
Consecutive baskets by Luke Lansman and Baughman put the Cyclones ahead 29-26 midway through the third before another scoring lull occurred. This time, Norwalk took advantage, ending the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 35-31 lead.
Hastert, who led the Cyclones with 18 points and three assists, opened the fourth with a 3-pointer off a steal and assist by Kaufmann, but Stogdill answered with a '3.' Hastert later hit two free throws and then Kaufmann drilled a trey to give HCHS its final lead, 39-38, with 3:50 to go.
With the Cyclones possibly just two defensive stops and a basket away from going to their delay game, Stogdill stepped up again with his fourth and final long-range bomb at the 3:12 mark.
After the Cyclones' fifth traveling violation of the night, it was Norwalk who spread the floor, only to turn the ball over on a steal by Baughman, who then missed the front end of a 1-and-1.
While the Warriors began to stretch their lead at the free throw line, making 5-of-6 under 1-and-1 pressure, HCHS committed an unforced turnover and missed 3-pointers on its next three trips down the floor.
"I thought we had just a little panic in us. We lost our poise just a little bit," Osborn said. "We had five travels tonight. I'll bet you we haven't had cumulative five travels all season."
Finally, after Seibert went 0-for-2 at the line with :37.4 left, the Cyclones made their last hurrah. First, a deep 3 by Kaufmann, then a five-count, then a Hastert triple. Just like that, it's a one-point game, but Kaufmann fouled out moments later trying to stop the clock. He had just one foul until the final 1:24, but no one seemed to realize he had picked up his next three so quickly.
"That is my fault, I've got to know that," Osborn said. "We should've been telling Michael we didn't want him fouling. That's a terrible coaching error on our part. We were asleep at the wheel, and maybe somebody said something and I didn't hear it."
Even with Kaufmann on the bench, the Cyclones got two good looks at the basket in the final seconds, including Baughman's '3' that did everything but go down.
"We've got great kids that work hard and they did everything that they could tonight. I can't fault them a bit," Osborn said. "Everybody chipped in, everybody contributed, everybody did what they could do."
Harlan Community: 12, 11, 8, 14 -- 45
Norwalk: 11, 10, 14, 13 -- 48
Harlan Community Boxscore
Player FGs 3's FTs Pts. Rebs. Fouls Assts. TO's Blks. Stls.
Jeff Hastert* 6-10 4-6 2-2 18 1 2 3 3 0 1
Michael Kaufmann* 3-11 3-9 0-0 9 4 5 2 3 0 2
Jeffrey White* 1-1 1-1 0-0 3 2 2 0 3 0 0
Luke Lansman* 3-4 0-0 0-0 6 3 1 2 1 0 1
Jacob Schaben* 0-2 0-0 1-2 1 4 2 1 2 0 0
Willie Baughman 3-6 1-4 1-2 8 4 2 2 1 0 3
Zach Osborn 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brian Kloewer 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
* Starters
HCHS 16-34 9-20 4-6 45 19 14 10 13 0 7
Norwalk 16-34 8-20 8-13 48 21 12 10 12 2 2
Norwalk Points: Jared Stogdill 12, Jacob Petersen 9, Jake Logan 9, Alex Dorr 8, Adam Seibert 6, Matt Dermody 2, Garrett Crall 2. Rebounds: Dorr 7, Dermody 4, Stogdill 2, Logan 2, Seibert 2. Assists: Petersen 4, Stogdill 3, Dorr 1, Crall 1, Seibert 1. Blocks: Logan 1, Crall 1. Steals: Dorr 1, Crall 1.
Team Totals
Total FG Shooting: HCHS 47.1%, Norwalk 47.1%. 3-Point Shooting: HCHS 45%, Norwalk 40%. Free Throw Shooting: HCHS 66.7%, Norwalk 61.5%. Points in the Paint: HCHS 10, Norwalk 8. Points off Turnovers: HCHS 21, Norwalk 8. 2nd Chance Points: HCHS 3, Norwalk 8. Fast Break Points: HCHS 0, Norwalk 0. Bench Points: HCHS 8, Norwalk 8.
Season Win-Loss Records
Harlan Community (23-3 overall), Norwalk (24-2 overall).
