FAIRFIELD — The final buzzer had barely finished sounding Wednesday night when the Notre Dame High School girls basketball team made a beeline for the other side of the gym and up into the stands at Fairfield High School.
No, the Nikes weren't hugging their parents and friends after their 83-22 Class 1A regional final win over English Valleys.
The Nikes wanted to share this special moment with Monica and Johanna Myers, wife and daughter of former Notre Dame coach Jim Myers, who passed away Nov. 26, 2021, after a seven-year battle with GIST sarcoma.
As the players took turns hugging Myers' family, the tears began to flow, the culmination of what has been an emotional season. Every bead of sweat, every drop of blood and every trickle of tears this season has been for Jim Myers, the Nikes' beloved coach.
The Nikes wanted dearly to get back to the state tournament for the first time since 2017 for Myers.
Mission accomplished.
More:Here are the 2022 Iowa girls basketball state tournament brackets
“He would just be so proud. I don’t even know if he would have words," said junior Maddy Mosena, who came off the bench to score seven points. “I know he is so proud of us. This is all he ever wanted. Having made it this far the past two years, I know this is where he would want us to be and what he would want us to do.”
“It’s been an emotional roller-coaster, from losing Coach to getting back on the court and playing like we know we can. It is very emotional, but we know we can do it because we know he’s in heaven watching over us," said senior Megan Harrell, who scored a game-high 17 points. “I just know he has that smile on his face up in heaven. Hugging Monica and Jo at the end of that game was everything for me. These girls are amazing. It’s amazing to have Reagan (Engberg) and Amelia (Morgan) by my side, too.”
“We told them that we love them. Big hugs and tears. We always think of them. They are a part of this family. Without Jo and Monica … they are our biggest supporters, for sure," said senior Reagan Engberg, who tossed in 14 points. “Coach was definitely one of my biggest fans. He helped me with everything. I love him. It stinks that he can’t be here with us, but I know that he’s watching over us. He’s here. He’s always with us.
“Everything this whole season has been for Coach Myers. I think every season after this will also be for him," said sophomore Lauren Krieger, who scored 16 points. “(I could feel his presence) one hundred percent since I stepped in this gym. It’s definitely been an emotional time for everyone on the team, especially me. Coach Myers has been a part of my life since before my high school career.”
“These girls are so focused and motivated by Jim. This is what they’re playing for," Notre Dame interim head coach Corey Stephens said. “He would be saying we are one step closer to our goal. Playing as a team. Together. Strong. Unselfish. Just playing great basketball.”
Leaving no doubt
If there were any doubts about which was the better team, seventh-ranked Notre Dame put those to rest in a blitzkrieg.
English Valleys got on the scoreboard first on a layup by Mia Ayers just over a minute into the game.
Notre Dame responded with a 28-0 run to put the game away, holding the Bears scoreless for an almost-unbelievable eight minutes, four seconds.
Krieger knocked down the first of her three 3-pointers to jump-start the Nikes' offense. From there, the Nikes' pressure defense did the rest.
Notre Dame led 25-2 at the end of the first quarter and took a commanding 50-11 edge into halftime.
“It was everything. The start was probably the most important part of our game tonight. It’s good to finish, but you also have to start out on top," Krieger said.
“I was able to see five games. They did the same thing in the five games I was able to watch. We had two nights to try to make some adjustments to what they were doing on the pressure. We weren’t able to handle that very well. And they were just shooting lights out. I know that four of the five starters shoot over 36 percent. I knew that going in," said English Valleys first-year coach Jeff Miller, who turned an eight-win team into a 21-win team this year. “One of the girls who really flew under the radar was No. 30 (Krieger), but she knocked down some big shots. I wasn’t really looking at her as being one of the bad guys, but she knocked down a lot of points.”
No coasting
While the Nikes had a sizable lead at halftime, Harrell made sure there would be no letdown in the second half.
“We came out firing, that’s for sure," Harrell said. "We knew when you come out firing, you have to keep going. You can’t just pull off. At halftime we got a little happy and I’m like, ‘Hey, this isn’t over. We have to keep going.’ And we did. We came out firing in the second half.”
Every Notre Dame player who dressed got into the game and got to be a part of the victory. Of the 14 Nikes who played, nine of them scored.
“It was just a great team-effort game," Krieger said. "We had Megan who was hot and Reagan who was hot. Gabby (Deery) was working in the post. I was just doing my job out there.”
All for Coach Myers
Stephens didn't have to say a single word to his players before the game. The Nikes had all the motivation they needed.
“It means everything," Harrell said. "When Coach was still here at the beginning of the season, he always had the mindset that this whole season we’re just getting prepared to win everything, get to the state tournament. I knew that’s what he wanted. We all knew that, so that’s the best motivation in the world.”
“He definitely was our motivation," Engberg said. "He wanted this more than anything. We wanted it more than anything and we wanted it more than anything for him. Having him, knowing that he is here with us, knowing that he is cheering us on from above, it’s amazing. It's the best feeling in the world."
On the horizon
English Valleys ends the season with a 21-4 record and graduates five seniors.
Notre Dame (23-0) will play second-ranked Algona Garrigan (22-3) in a Class 1A state quarterfinal game at 5 p.m. March 2 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
By the numbers
ENGLISH VALLEYS (22)
Maddie Mikesell 1-5 1-2 3, Carly Stanerson 0-5 0-0 0, Mia Ayers 3-8 0-0 8, Kaely Axmear 0-4 0-0 0, Kennedy Axmear 0-5 0-0 0, Addy Westfall 1-6 0-0 3, Delaney Hall 3-10 0-0 8, Gwen Mews 0-2 0-0 0, Ada Mews 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Mikesell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 8-45 1-2 22.
NOTRE DAME (83)
Reagan Engberg 5-10 2-2 14, Taryn Stephens 2-3 1-1 5, Megan Harrell 6-11 4-7 17, Gabby Deery 5-11 0-0 10, Lauren Krieger 5-10 3-3 16, Maddy Mosena 3-5 0-0 6, Abby Korschgen 2-3 2-2 6, Anna Engberg 2-2 0-0 5, Ava Parkins 0-0 0-0 0, Amelia Morgan 1-3 0-0 3, Nadiya Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Lexi Korschgen 0-0 0-0 0, Addison Reid 0-0 0-0 0, Madalynn Knapp 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-59 12-15 83.
Score by quarters
English Valleys. 2. 9. 6 5. — 22
Notre Dame. 25. 25. 21. 12. — 83
Fouls: English Valleys 12, Notre Dame 8. Fouled out: None. Technicals: None. 3-point goals: English Valleys 5-27 (Ayers 2-6, Hall 2-8, Westfall 1-6, Stanerson 0-3, M.Mikesell 0-4), Notre Dame 9-22 (Krieger 3-4, R.Engberg 2-6, A.Engberg 1-1, Mosena 1-1, Morgan 1-3, Harrell 1-5, Stephens 0-1, Jones 0-1).
Records: English Valleys 21-4, Notre Dame 23-0.
CLASS 1A STATE TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 2
Algona Garrigan (22-3) vs. Notre Dame (23-0)