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Louis Gonner had already beaten one buzzer to get Marquette Catholic to Des Moines. His 3 at the horn sank Montezuma 66-63 in overtime in the substate final. Then the Defenders showed up as a No. 6 seed and kept playing like the clock owed them something.

The 2026 IHSAA boys state tournament ran March 9-13. It was the first and last one at the newly renamed Casey's Center. Next March, all four classes move to Hilton Coliseum in Ames.

Before the move, a few teams left a mark.

Marquette Catholic's run

On March 10, the sixth-seeded Defenders beat No. 3 Bishop Garrigan 58-55 in the 1A quarterfinals. Marquette jumped ahead 18-11 after one quarter and led by 12 in the second. After that they spent most of the night holding off Garrigan's runs. Gonner scored 17 and Tate Kueter added 11.

Two nights later they took down No. 2 MMCRU 65-56 to reach their third straight 1A title game.

The final went to top-seeded St. Edmond, 54-42. Marquette led 39-36 after three quarters, then scored three points in the fourth. Gonner and Justin Severson made the all-tournament team. It was the program's third straight runner-up finish.

Regina's wall

In 2A, Iowa City Regina dismantled Aplington-Parkersburg 76-54 in the quarterfinals on March 11. Two days later, Unity Christian beat the Regals 72-46 in the semis. Ben Wade scored 21 in the loss.

Unity went on to beat top-seeded Kuemper Catholic 67-64. That made Unity the only champion that wasn't a No. 1 seed.

The rest of the board

4A: Unbeaten Cedar Falls beat Johnston 56-48.
3A: Ballard edged ADM 43-39 and avenged its only loss of the season.
1A: St. Edmond's title came in coach Adolph Kochendorfer's 40th and final season.

My call for Ames

Marquette ends the runner-up streak in 2027. Kueter played as a sophomore in a seven-man rotation that reached three straight finals. When a group keeps knocking on that door, eventually it opens. Hold me to it in March.

Your move: Which program wins the first title at Hilton Coliseum? Put your pick in the comments, and subscribe to HSPrepSports for the 2026-27 season from tip-off. Players chasing a spot in Ames can build their recruiting profile on RepMax.io now, before the film from this winter starts piling up.

Sources
CBS2 Iowa: Marquette advances, Bellevue bows out in 1A State quarterfinals (March 2026)
Bellevue Herald-Leader: Marquette's state tournament run recap (March 2026)
Southeast Iowa Union: Boys' state basketball recap (March 17, 2026)
Iowa PBS: Get Ready for the 2026 IHSAA Boys State Basketball Championships