Decorah Boys Basketball Shuts Down Crestwood Cadets in Rivalry Matchup

We cover Decorah because we love it. Show your love back — donate today. DECORAH — The Decorah boys basketball team might not have been faster than the Crestwood Cadets, but they were most certainly bigger and stronger, and that size and physicality on defense held the Cadets to just 41 points in the northeast Iowa rivalry matchup Friday, Jan. 30. The Vikings won 65-41. Playing in front of a packed house, both teams got off to a slow start, with the Vikings finishing the first quarter with 10 points. The Cadets—averaging more than 70 points per game this season—finished the first quarter with only eight. And that would be the story of the evening, as Decorah's defensive prowess led to offensive output. Toward the end of the first quarter, with a few seconds remaining, senior Peyton Webb jumped in front of an errant Cresco pass and took the ball the length of the court, slamming it home to give Decorah a two-point advantage and all of the momentum. In fact, after that play, Decorah led the rest of the game. Defense was the focal point for the Vikings. "[We wanted to] be physical on ball and run them off the three-point line," said coach Jonathan Carlson. "Force them into tough two-point attempts and have to finish in the lane. We know we are capable of shutting people down defensively with our length and athleticism, so it was good to see the guys dig in." It was a strategy that worked. While Cresco hit 6 of 18 from behind the arc, the Cadets were just 16 of 54 overall, shooting under 30% as a team. Even when a Cadet penetrated the lane, scoring over senior center Cael LaFrentz proved difficult. LaFrentz recorded five blocks in the game and disrupted dozens of other shots. Leading the team in scoring was senior forward Noah Milburn, who showed he could score in a variety of ways: pullup jumpers, 3-pointers and tough finishes at the rim. Milburn led all scorers with 26 points. Not far behind was LaFrentz with 22. Webb finished with 11. On the evening, the Vikings shot well as a team, hitting 44% of their shots. The Vikings move into the final stretch of the regular season with tough matchups against Solon, Marion, Osage, Waukon and others. "We are trying to find some rhythm for our final month of the season," Carlson said, "and a win like this hopefully builds some momentum moving forward." The Vikings' next game is at Waukon on Thursday, Feb. 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Team and individual stats for the game against Cresco can be found at GoBound. Be the first to know! Sign up for the free newsletter and unlock exclusive updates, breaking news, and tips from around the community.