Decorah Girls Basketball Falls in Heartbreaker to Waverly-Shell Rock, 50-44

Without your donation, some stories vanish. Support Decorah News. DECORAH —The Decorah Vikings girls basketball team fell just short in the Class 4A Region 7 semifinal, landing at 50-44 to top-seeded Waverly-Shell Rock on Saturday at Go-Hawk Gym. Decorah began 14-9 advantage after the first quarter and, holding tight to a slim 26-23 gap at halftime. The Vikings maintained their win through the third quarter, leading 38-36, before Waverly-Shell Rock broke away in the final period. Sydney Thompson led the Vikings with 17 points, while Brooklyn Fromm contributed a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Gracie Tangen added eight points and seven boards, Claire Storhoff finished with six points, five rebounds, and five assists, and Renae Wilson chipped in three points and four rebounds. Despite the loss, Decorah coach Blake Moen said the performance was one of his proudest moments that season. "I am so incredibly proud of our girls tonight," Moen said. "We executed our game plan, played incredibly hard, and gave ourselves a chance to knock off one of the best teams in Class 4A on the road." Moen noted the team's growth since an earlier-season lopsided loss at Waverly. "Last time we played at Waverly, we lost by 40, and this time around we were a couple shots away from winning the game," he said. "That shows the amount of character and belief our girls had. That is one of the games that the final outcome could have gone either way, and we unfortunately were on the losing end." He added that the team's effort and unity was the defining aspect of the season overall. "Seeing our girls play with so much passion and fight for each other made it one of the more proud moments I have ever had to be a Decorah Viking," Moen said. "This team and group was so special in the sense that they cared for one another regardless of JV, varsity, freshman, senior, manager[...]" Moen also expressed gratitude for the team's five seniors, Fromm, Thompson, Clara Hjelle, Wilson and Deborah Hougen, praising their leadership and commitment across four years. "These five showed our entire program what offseason hard work, belief and commitment can get you, and they were wonderful leaders for our younger players to learn from," he said. "They are 100% leaving Decorah girls basketball in a better place after their four years, and gave every ounce of effort to this program. As a coach, that is all I can ask for." The Vikings finish the season 15-8. Don't miss a beat! Subscribe for free and receive the stories, insights, and events that keep your community thriving."