DES MOINES — Dreams can come true on the basketball court and Bishop Garrigan is living theirs right now.

For the first time in school history, the Golden Bears (25-1 overall) will be playing for a state championship in Class 1A.

The Golden Bears defeated second-ranked Bellevue Marquette, 69-37 to advance to the finals.

“It’s just an unbelievable feeling,” said Bishop Garrigan head coach Brandon Schwab. “It’s been a life long dream of mine and I’m happy for these kids and excited that they get a chance to play for a state title.”

Freshman Molly Joyce, who came into the contest averaging 18 points a contest, struggled with only four points in the quarterfinals. But when the lights came on for the semifinals — she delivered.

Joyce had a team high 23 points and was pleased to see her team keep their title hopes alive.

“It’s crazy and exciting (to be playing for a state title),” Joyce said. “It was a super fun day and I’m glad we were able to win.”

The point guard didn’t just score points for the Golden Bears, she was all over the floor. She had three assists and six steals.

“That’s the Molly we are used to seeing,” Schwab said. “She played a little nervous on Wednesday and that can happen with a 15-year old. The Molly you seen (Friday) that’s the Molly that she’s played like all year.

“She was aggressive, relentless and relaxed.”

Joyce was happy to turn things around after a rough start to the postseason.

“I just had to put that first game behind me,” Joyce said. “It was easy to do that and I was motivated to play better.

“Our senior and junior leadership makes this team special and having a great 6-foot-3 post player is nice to.”

For the second straight game, the Golden Bears got off to a slow start, but made adjustments and pulled away from the Mohawks in the second half.

Marquette led after the first period 17-16. The Mohawks were able to slow down the pace, something the Golden Bears didn’t want to have happen.

“In the first quarter we were very handsy and reached in a lot,” Schwab said. “They slowed down the game and our goal was to get the pace up. They shot a lot of free throws early, which kept us away from running.”

After shooting at a 31.2 percent clip (10-for-32) in the first quarter, the Golden Bears got hot in the second (50 percent).

“We stopped fouling and pushed the ball more,” Joyce said. “We had a good defense with our press. We were able to move the ball around in our offense and they weren’t able to run with us.”

The Golden Bears did take a 39-29 lead into the locker room, but after the half, the Golden Bears brought back a different swagger, holding Marquette to eight points in the final 32 minutes. They forced 29 turnovers in the game, scoring 26 points off of them.

“(At halftime) Coach said erase what happend in the first half,” said freshman Audi Crooks. “It’s 0-0 and we need to start fresh. He told us to stay focused and let everything go.

“They had some decent size, but we crashed the boards and were able to get into the passing lanes.”

Garrigan did exactly that, scoring 21 points out of the gate in the third quarter. Bishop Garrigan held the Mohawks to 4-for-34 shooting in the second half (11 percent).

“In the second half, we defended at a high level and switched our press a little,” Schwab said. “We let them get the ball in and denied them the pass once they got it to their ball handlers.

“We were a little deeper than they were, so we picked up the pace of the game.”

Crooks, who is the daughter of 1985 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate Jimmie Crooks and former Golden Bear standout Michelle (Vitzthum) Cook, turned in her 19th double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

With her performance Crooks now has 592 points and moves into third on the freshman all-time scoring list. She needs 21 points to pass Pocahontas Area graduate Elle Ruffridge. She moves her freshman record of field goals made to 254.

“It’s a dream come true (to play for a state title),” Crooks said. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted. I knew we had a good shot to get here and I’am so proud and grateful to be a part of this team.

“Our senior leadership has a lot to do with our team. I couldn’t have imagined a better group to play with. The team chemistry on and off the court is unbeliavable.”

Kaylyn Meyers also reached double digits with 13 points. The Golden Bears hit six three pointers on the night, led by Joyce’s three. Madison Meister, Katie Noonan and Gracie Elsbecker had one each.

Now Bishop Garrigan will tangle with defending state champions Newell-Fonda. The title game is at 7 p.m. inside Wells Fargo Arena.

“They’re (Newell-Fonda) one of the greatest teams in the state of Iowa,” Schwab said. “They play hard and they have a great system. They move up and down the floor.

“It’s going to be a challenge and we are excited for it.”

BISHOP GARRIGAN 69, BELLEVUE MARQUETTE 37

Bishop Garrigan — Katie Noonan 1-5 0-0 3, Madison Meister 3-7 0-0 7, Molly Joyce 10-18 0-0 23, Kaylyn Meyers 5-12 3-7 13, Audi Crooks 8-14 1-4 17, Emma Grangenett 0-1 1-3 1, Anna Berke 0-0 0-0 0, Kelly Baade 0-2 0-0 0, Emma Fogarty 1-4 0-0 2, Gracie Elsbecker 1-3 0-0 3, Meredith Tigges 0-1 0-0 0, Reese Rosenmeyer 0-1 0-2 0, Ashlyn Hovey 0-0 0-0 0, Ella Muller 0-0 0-0 0, Amanda Miller 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 29-70 5-16 69.

Marquette — Delaney Banowetz 1-5 5-6 7, Halle Kilburg 1-5 0-0 2, Miranda Peters 4-18 3-4 11, Ellie O’Brien 3-7 0-0 6, Tori Michel 4-7 1-2 9, Grace Gerhard 0-1 0-0 1, Beatrice Kemp 0-1 0-0 0, Holly Beauchamp 0-1 0-0 0, Elise Kilburg 0-1 0-0 0, Kaylee Koos 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Callaghan 0-3 0-0 0, Allison Kettmann 0-0 0-0 0, Holly Kremer 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 13-49 11-14 37.

Quarter scores: M led 17-16, BG led 39-29, 60-3. Three-point goals: Bishop Garrigan 6-24 (Joyce 3, Noonan 1, Meister 1, Elsbecker 1); Marquette 0-11. Turnovers: Bishop Garrigan 12, Marquette 29; Points off turnovers: Bishop Garrigan 26, Marquette 4; Total rebounds: Bishop Garrigan 39, Marquette 46; Total fouls: Bishop Garrigan 14, Marquette 16.