On March 2, the PV boys basketball team faced off against Iowa City Liberty in a do or die match, with the winner heading to the state tournament at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
The fifth ranked Spartans entered Tuesday’s game with an 18-3 record, winning 17 of their last 18. The Spartans were looking to keep their streak alive and punch their ticket to the state tournament for the first time since the 2015-2016 season, when Will Carius led his team to Wells Fargo for the second straight year.
After barely scraping out a 21-19 win over cross town rival the Bettendorf Bulldogs, the Spartans came out firing on all cylinders against the Liberty Lightning, creating a 16-5 lead after the first eight minutes of play. With the help of dominating performances from junior guard Ryan Dolphin and senior forward Jacob Townsend, the Spartans were able to knock off Liberty 57-46.
Townsend has been a key player behind the team’s success this year, leading the team with an average of 12.8 points per game. Everything the team has been able to accomplish this year has been made possible by running offense through the 6-foot-4 threat who can score from anywhere on the floor.
Townsend is not surprised by his team preparing to compete in the state tournament on March 10. “This has been an expectation from the second we walked off the floor after losing the Substate Final against Iowa City West last season,” he shared.
While this may not come as a surprise to Townsend, it sure does serve as a lifelong goal coming full circle for him. “The last time PV went to state for basketball, I was a kid who had dreams of doing it. For us to be in the company of teams like Will Carius and Brian Larson is pretty special,” he exclaimed.
Brett Ahlgren, a new addition to the varsity squad serving as an assistant coach, used to be the head coach for the sophomore team, giving him the opportunity to coach this group in their younger years.
After seeing the way this group finished off their season last year being 13-11 and giving themselves a chance at a trip to Wells Fargo, Ahlgren and the coaching staff had a lot of confidence in this group. “We had really high hopes going into the season with senior leaders and finishing on a positive note last year,” Ahlgren stated.
The Spartans had a slow start to the year losing two of their first three games, however the coaches never lost faith in their team. Instead, they admired how well they responded and continued to battle everyday. “After a rough start, lots of self reflection was done on what needed to happen to get better. It really just came down to effort from both coaches and players,” Ahlgren explained.
Townsend and the Spartans will take on the second ranked Waukee Warriors on Wednesday, March 10 at 4 P.M., hoping their dreams become a reality and move one step closer to a state championship.
