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Garrigan boys will play for state title

Golden Bears in championship round for the first time in school history

Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Marcus Plathe of Bishop Garrigan walks off the court at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

DES MOINES — The attention and star power of the Bishop Garrigan boys belongs to their “big three” of John Joyce, Cade Winkel and Angelo Winkel.

And rightfully so.

The trio leads the team in virtually every statistical category, and had a major hand in a convincing 66-52 victory over West Fork here Wednesday in the Class 1A semifinals.

But the role players for the Golden Bears were just as critical in helping overcome foul trouble once more and sending the school to their first-ever state championship game.

Bishop Garrigan (24-2 overall) will now take on upset-minded Wapsie Valley (20-7) here on Friday at 2 p.m. for the title.

Seniors Andrew Arndorfer, Cameron Baade and Marcus Plathe, along with junior Kyle Schaaf, combined for 20 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Golden Bears, who have won 13 in a row.

“Role players don’t get near the credit they deserve,” Cade Winkel said. “Our guys work so hard every single day and accept there roles and play it at a high level. Guys always want to be the stars, but having the dudes who do all the dirty work and play there hearts out are just as important.

“Without our guys like that, we wouldn’t have even made state. Everyone is equal on this team. We couldn’t care less on what people think of us or our role. We know who we are and that’s all that matters.”

For the seniors, this has been a quest seven years in the making.

“It feels amazing because we have been dreaming about this since fifth grade,” Baade said. “I feel like our role is important because if Angelo or John or Cade get in foul trouble, they can count on us to score or rebound and take the pressure off.”

Arndorfer, who helped the BGHS golf team place third last year and was fourth overall, sank a key bucket at the end of the first half that gave the Golden Bears a 29-27 lead.

“It’s what I have dreamed about ever since I was a little kid,” Arndorfer said. “It was an amazing feeling to knock down some big shots for my team and give us a bigger lead.”

Angelo Winkel had his second double-double in as many games at state, scoring 16 with 15 rebounds and five blocks. The junior now has 1,245 career points, 651 boards and 156 blocks.

Joyce had a team-high 17 points, giving him 761 points in three seasons. The guard, who is headed to Coe College, also has 271 assists, 185 rebounds, 121 steals and 91 made 3-pointers.

Cade Winkel, a future Briar Cliff player, finished with 13 points, four assists and three rebounds. Winkel has 1,241 points, 609 rebounds, 284 assists, 103 steals and 90 blocks, helping the Golden Bears win 76 games since 2016.

“It was awesome seeing everyone step up and play good defense,” Arndorfer said. “That 2-3 zone really slowed down (West Fork’s) offense. And on offense, I thought we played a great game.

“I can’t wait to play Friday in front of a huge crowd.”

This is Bishop Garrigan’s fourth appearance at state all-time, having finished fourth in 1993 under Tom Froehlich. Roger Froehlich, a current assistant, led the team to state in 2010 with Mark Meister now in his second appearance and 28-3 overall.

West Fork, a 2011 state champion and two-time runner-up, will face Montezuma for third on Friday. The Warhawks were led by Jakob Washington, who scored 17 points, and Brayden Vold, who had 12.

On Tuesday night, the team found out Edison Caspers’ father, Ed, had passed away. All players from West Fork wore t-shirts with “Caspers” on the back.

BISHOP GARRIGAN 66, WEST FORK 52

Bishop Garrigan — Cade Winkel 6-7 1-1 13, Andrew Arndorfer 2-2 0-1 5, John Joyce 5-15 6-6 17, Marcus Plathe 3-6 0-1 6, Angelo Winkel 7-11 1-2 16, Cameron Baade 2-4 0-0 6, Kyle Schaaf 0-1 3-3 3. Totals: 25-46 11-14 66.

West Fork — Ian Latham 3-10 1-1 8, Brett Weaver 1-5 0-0 3, Kayden Ames 2-9 0-0 6, Jakob Washington 6-12 5-8 17, Brayden Vold 6-9 0-0 12, Noah Maske 0-0 0-0 0, Colin Martinek 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Hubka 0-0 0-0 0, Ren Heimer 0-0 0-0 0, Edison Caspers 1-1 0-0 2, Cail Weaver 0-3 0-0 0, Jason Meier 0-0 0-0 0, Tyler Nuehring 0-0 0-0 0, Joe Ingham 2-3 0-0 4. Totals: 21-52 6-9 52.

Quarter scores: Bishop Garrigan led 19-15, 29-27, 47-38. Three-point goals: Bishop Garrigan 5-12 (Baade 2, Arndorfer, Joyce, A. Winkel), West Fork 4-20 (Ames 2, Latham, B. Weaver). Total rebounds: Bishop Garrigan 33 (A. Winkel 15), West Fork 24 (Washington 9). Assists: Bishop Garrigan 14 (C. Winkel, Joyce 4), West Fork 13 (Latham 4). Blocked shots: Bishop Garrigan 6 (A. Winkel 5), West Fork 0. Steals: Bishop Garrigan 7 (Arndorfer 3), West Fork 5 (Ames 2). Turnovers: Bishop Garrigan 12, West Fork 12. Points in the paint: Bishop Garrigan 36, West Fork 32. Points off turnovers: Bishop Garrigan 14, West Fork 14. Second chance points: Bishop Garrigan 13, West Fork 9. Fast break points: Bishop Garrigan 4, West Fork 5.

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