Newell-Fonda Claims Class 1A Girls Basketball State Title, 64-56

After losing the Class 1A championship in double overtime by three points a year ago, Newell-Fonda left nothing to chance Saturday night at Casey's Center in Des Moines. The Mustangs jumped out to a commanding early lead and held off a second-half surge by Algona's Bishop Garrigan to win the state title 64-56, ending a five-year drought between championships for the program.

Newell-Fonda controlled the game from the opening tip, outscoring the Golden Bears 22-12 in the first quarter and then 17-7 in the second to take a 39-19 lead into halftime. Bishop Garrigan, the tournament's top seed, responded in the third quarter with a 16-10 run to cut the deficit to 49-35. The Bears continued pressing in the fourth, narrowing it to 55-49 with about four minutes remaining, but Newell-Fonda steadied itself and closed out the victory.

Sisters Ellie Sievers and Quinn Sievers each scored 16 points to lead the Mustangs. Rylee Hogrefe added 15. Senior Jocee Walsh, playing in her fourth state championship game, contributed 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. Ellie Sievers was named captain of the Class 1A All-Tournament Team and won the Iowa Pork Producers Top Producer of the Game award. Quinn Sievers also earned all-tournament honors, joined on the team by Bishop Garrigan's Emmi Bartolo, St. Albert's Avah Underwood and Saint Ansgar's Jacey Johnston.

The win carried particular weight given what the Mustangs had endured getting here. The night before, Newell-Fonda had beaten defending champion Council Bluffs St. Albert 50-45 in the semifinals, with Rylee Hogrefe sinking two free throws in the final seconds to seal it. That rematch with St. Albert, which had beaten the Mustangs in last year's title game, set up a championship showdown with an old rival.

The 2026 final was the fourth time in eight years that Newell-Fonda and Bishop Garrigan met for the Class 1A crown. Newell-Fonda beat the Golden Bears 66-52 in 2021; Bishop Garrigan turned the tables in 2023. Saturday's rematch belonged to the Mustangs.

"The last couple of years, we played some really good teams, and they outplayed us that night," a Newell-Fonda voice said postgame. "Tonight, we were the better team and got the win."

Coach Jungers, reflecting on his senior class, put the season in longer perspective. "I couldn't be more proud," he said. "These seniors are going to graduate with nine wins at the state tournament and one title, and I just really hope they can appreciate the journey it took to get to this."

Among those watching from the crowd was Audi Crooks, a junior at Iowa State and a former Bishop Garrigan standout who had scored a single-game record in a prior championship meeting between these two programs.

With the title, Newell-Fonda finished its season 24-2 and extended its remarkable state tournament record to 36-22, which ties West Des Moines Dowling Catholic for second all-time behind Ankeny's 44 state tournament victories. The championship game appearance was the program's fourth consecutive and 11th in the last 14 years. According to IGHSAU records, the Mustangs have won four state championships in that stretch, though at least one source characterized Saturday's title as the program's fifth overall in 1A. That figure is pending confirmation from official IGHSAU records.

For Newell-Fonda, a northwest Iowa school with a basketball program built on sustained excellence, the trophy is heading home.