Earlham Echo

Earlham Cardinals Boys’ Basketball Team Finishes 3rd at State

Parts 1-3

January 2, 2026

Part 1

For young adults, the ten years right after high school are action packed. When you’re busy getting your career rolling, starting a family, and just generally finding your way in the world, things are happening so fast that you can almost lose track of time somewhat.

When we contacted a few members of the 2014-15 Cardinal boys’ basketball team about the 10^th anniversary of their 3^rd-place finish at the state tournament, the space-time seemed to catch some of them off guard.

“I didn’t know it was 10 years until you said it,” said Alan Schmidt with a laugh. “It went by so fast. So I was kind of horrified when you let us know.”

A couple of weeks ago, we sat down with Alan Schmidt, Dan Schmidt, Andy Algreen, A.J. Leporte, and head coach Kevin Williamson to reminisce about the only Cardinal boys’ team to ever qualify for the state tournament. There were plenty of laughs—and more than a few tears—as we discussed that season, what it meant to them then, and what it means now.

Beginnings

The team that year was loaded with upperclassmen. The top nine scorers were either seniors or juniors, and most of those guys had played together since grade school. During those ‘little league’ days, the post-game snack might be more critical than who won or who lost—but it’s also when dreams of state championships are born.

“We definitely talked about it,” said Alan, who along with his brother Dan, Zack Schreck, Derek Hensley, Micah Bailey, Ben Williamson, and Grant Detrick, was a senior in ’14-‘15. “We didn’t lose a basketball game in 3^rd or 4^th grade. Maybe 5^th or 6^th grade was the first time we lost. Then we started playing AAU tournaments and we’d go play Waukee and lose by 30. But we definitely thought about (the state tournament) from an early age.”

For the guys that were juniors that year (Canyon ‘Moose’ Hopkins, A.J. Leporte, Andy Algreen, and Josh Smith), getting to state someday was perhaps more in the back of their collective mind than the front during their early playing days.

“I don’t know if it’s something we ever talked about,” said Leporte. “But I think we all knew that we had something there and we could go a long way with what we had. We had a really tight-knit group that played well together for a really long time. So I think we always thought it was a possibility.”

Some of the coaches for the boys in their early years were Doug Bailey, Lance Ridgely, Monte Hopkins, and Alan Algreen. Patience, enthusiasm, good communication skills, and knowledge of the game are all characteristics for a good youth coach, and these guys fit the bill.

“That’s a huge part of it,” said Coach Williamson. “Having guys in there that are going to teach fundamentals and just do things the right way instead of worrying about winning at all costs. They let them play and didn’t just focus on set plays. They taught them how to play basketball, how to understand it, and helped build their IQ.”

Both groups made their mark in middle school basketball, and when they got to high school, some of them earned varsity playing time as underclassmen. By the 2013-14 season, the core of what would be the state tournament team was taking shape.

Coach Williamson had no qualms about rolling such a young team out on the floor every night.

“You could definitely do more with them because they just understood more,” he said. “As coaches, I thought our job was to get out of the way and let them play basketball. Because they did have a good understanding, and they played so well with each other that our job was to try to get the right guys on the floor at the right time. And if someone was struggling, the nice thing about that group was that they were fairly deep.”

In their first 12 games in ‘13-’14, the Cards won 4 games in a row, but also suffered a 3-game losing streak, and their record was 6-6. The team started to gel down the stretch, winning 6 of the last 8 games in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Cards won their first two games over I-35 and Adair-Casey. In the district final, they faced Nodaway Valley. The Wolverines had lost only two games all season and had thrashed the Cardinals by 22 points just two weeks earlier. The Cards played well, but eventually bowed, 57-51.

Conventional sports wisdom says that sometimes it’s actually a loss that can spur a team onto greater things—and this may have been that loss for the Cards.

“When we lost that game, we felt really good about the next year—if you can really feel good right after a loss,” said Coach Williamson. “But we knew what we had coming back.”

The season

The Cardinals came into the 2014-15 season as an experienced, confident team with as much talent as any school in the conference—in a year that the WCAC was especially tough.

There wasn’t anything that Moose didn’t do well. He was a guard in a big man’s body. He had an excellent mid-range jumper and had silky post-man moves. Alan and Dan were rangy, athletic small forwards that were deadly long-range shooters that could also slash to the basket. Leporte and Algreen were both excellent ball handlers and good shooters that were interchangeable at point and shooting guard. Schreck and Hensley rounded out the main rotation. At 6’ 4” and a half mile wide—all muscle—Shreck was an intimidating presence in the lane. Hensley gave the Cards solid minutes when he was in the lineup.

The Cards opened with a resounding 79-69 win over Van Meter. Moose scored 32 points and Alan scored 21. Next, the Cards smashed Madrid by 41. In their 3^rd game, the Cards came up short against Panorama, 64-55. The Panthers were good that year, but the Cards knew that they hadn’t played up to their standards.

“When we lost to Panorama, that was a bit of an eye opener,” said Coach Williamson. “But then we went on a pretty good roll after that.”

Indeed. The Cardinals reeled off 11 wins in a row with an average winning margin of 22 points. The second win of the streak was a 66-60 win over Des Moines Christian on the road, the first Cardinal win over the Lions since 2007. Four Cardinals scored in double figures and Alan led with 18 points.

The last two games of the streak were close wins: 56-49 over Panorama and 54-51 over Ogden. On January 27, DMC got a measure of revenge by beating the Cardinals, 63-52. But with a 13-2 record, the Cardinals’ confidence was at a high point.

“There’s a difference between having a good confidence level versus a cockiness level,” said Algreen. “I feel like we did a pretty good job of staying confident as opposed to a cockiness mindset.”

Coach Williamson added, “You definitely want confidence—and it is a thin line between confident and cocky. We didn’t have the cockiness. And they didn’t care who did what. I don’t remember anybody complaining about not getting shots or someone shooting too much. They had a common goal and the confidence with that group was high.”

The core Cardinal group had always been talented—since their early days in grade school ball—but their work ethic and camaraderie had always been what had set them apart. All of that only intensified when they reached high school.

“We were friends on and off the court, so we were always hanging out around each other,” said Leporte. “I think that played a huge factor. Also, just coming in and getting extra shots up in the morning. Alan and Dan would pick up Andy and me and we’d go shoot at 7 in the morning most days. We were all willing to put in the extra work to accomplish what we wanted to.”

Moose was there, too, and Coach Williamson didn’t even need to flick the lights on for them.

“I don’t think we’ve had a group like these guys that were willing to put in that much time,” he said. “We get individuals here and there, but it was just about every morning with them. It didn’t matter if it was in season or out of season, there were guys in there shooting. You don’t get that all the time. These guys were just driven. They had the end in mind when they began that year. And that’s what’s important. If it’s the team driving leadership as opposed to a coach, it’s so much better. And these guys definitely figured that out.”

Three days after losing to DMC, the Cardinals traveled to Woodward Academy. The Knights played their home games in the old gym at Woodward-Granger, and that environment was much different than it is now. Many of the Academy’s students attended the games and they marched in single file and filled the bleachers on the home side well before game time. As soon as they settled in, they proceeded to cheer, chant, sing, clap, yell, dance, and stomp until the game was over.

“Outside of Wells Fargo, it was by far the best atmosphere we played in,” said Dan. “They packed that other side. It was a lot of fun.”

Woodward Academy starts over with an entirely new roster most every year, and they usually struggle to win games. But that year they were loaded with talent. In fact, just like the Cardinals, they ended up qualifying for state (in Class 2A) for the first time ever that season.

Everyone in attendance that Friday night in Woodward got their money’s worth. The Cards, playing without Moose, who had an injured ankle, beat the Knights, 126-121, in four overtimes. It is still the highest scoring game in Iowa boys’ high school history.

The game probably didn’t go as Coach Williamson and his staff had planned. It was more ‘chaos’ than ‘crisp.’ Knights’ opponents can get sucked in by their run and gun, loosey goosey style of play. The Cards certainly did—but it made for some entertaining basketball.

The first four quarters were a virtual highlight reel of long 3-pointers, alley oops, acrobatic layups, and perfect passes. The overtime periods got bogged down a bit by whistles—four Cardinals and three Knights fouled out and there was a total of 110 free throws attempted—but they were still filled with exciting moments.

In the first OT, the Knights made two free throws with just a couple seconds left on the clock to tie the game.

In the second OT, Dan tied the game with 2 late free throws, then blocked a Knight shot in the lane as time expired.

Joey Harkins came off the bench and blocked three shots in the third OT. He and fellow subs Hensley and Bailey made valuable contributions in the overtime periods. But the Knights made a buzzer beater in the lane to tie the game and send it to a 4^th OT.

The Cards opened the final OT period with a 10-2 run, but the Knights fought back to within 1, 122-121. Four late free throws, 2 by Alan and 2 by Harkins, sealed the win for the Cards.

Alan led the Cardinals with 35 points, followed by Dan with 27, Algreen with 24, and Leporte with 23.

The Cardinals followed that with a 57-51 win over Nodaway Valley, then easily won the next four games to finish the regular season with a record of 19-2. The team was primed and ready for a playoff run.

Part 2

Moose

We met with the former Cardinals and Coach Williamson via Zoom. While the conversation was enjoyable, it was evident early on that everyone was thinking the same thing—someone was missing. Moose should be on this call.

While the ten years since the Cardinals made the trip to the state tournament seemingly went by in a flash, the fact that the world has been without Canyon Hopkins for nearly six years is even more difficult to fathom. After a courageous battle with an aggressive form of cancer, Moose succumbed in November of 2019.

While Moose became ‘famous’ for his sports exploits—particularly on the basketball court—he will be remembered more for the type of person he was. His genuine kindness, sense of humor, and cheerful demeanor made him a magnet to everyone he met. Because he connected with people in a different way than many of us do, everybody that knew him still has at least one ‘Moose story’ that they cherish. The people who knew him well have a million. To say that “Everyone loved Moose” is real—not hyperbole.

In our interview with his coach, friends and teammates, the shift to a discussion about Moose was not easy. The pain of his passing is still fresh and the void it left is immense. Still, they were able to share some memories.

“He was undoubtedly the leader of the team,” said Alan. “He inspired so much confidence in everybody else. We’d go play in the summer and play in teams like Valley and ADM. We always had a joke that he wouldn’t play well against any normal 1A team and then we’d go play Valley and he might be the only one who could score. He just inspired all of us. When he was on the floor with us, we figured we could beat just about anyone.”

Dan added, “He was a guy, in pre-game warmup, you just feel better knowing that that guy’s on your team. It just kind of brings everyone up. There’s always going to be a belief that hey we have someone like this on the team. You always felt pretty confident with that.”

Leporte said, “He was someone who could score or shoot the ball every single time, yet he would find open teammates and dish it to us, letting us all feed off of that. It goes to show what a good basketball player he was, but just a great person as well. Selfless, always looking out for others.”

Coaches love teamwork and unselfish play, of course, but occasionally Coach Williamson had to remind Moose to just go for it.

“I remember having a conversation with him multiple times like, ‘Man, go ahead and shoot a little more. Go look for yours.’ And it wasn’t in his nature to do that.”

Coach Williamson continued, “He was kind of the glue. He got along with everybody. There were times on the floor when maybe Andy and A.J. were getting a lot of pressure to get the ball up the floor—and you just gave it to your 6-4½ kid and said, “Okay Canyon, dribble it up and see if your guy can guard you.’ And they couldn’t. So, we would just clear out. There were so many things you could do with him.”

After Moose’s diagnosis and during his treatment, he came back to Earlham as an assistant coach.

“That was some of the best ‘Moose time’ I can remember having,” said Coach Williamson. “Just sitting on the bench with him. (Coach Williamson’s son) Trent was playing and I’d say, “Canyon, talk to Trent, because he’s not going to listen to his dad. He’s going to listen to you.” So he could have that conversation. It was super special.”

Memories can be fickle. The same cherished thoughts that we feel deep in our hearts can also cut like a knife sometimes. When friends and loved ones pass, the price we pay for remembering is a little pain.

Perhaps no one outside his family knew Moose better than Algreen. The two had been best friends since they were 3 feet tall. (Well, Moose was a lot taller than everybody in those days). On and off the court, the two friends were as close as it gets. On the day we discussed the 2015 team, Algreen struggled to sort through the myriad of memories. But no words were needed to express how he feels. Just a few days after our interview, Algreen and his wife Sydney welcomed into the world their new son, Mills Canyon Algreen.

The district playoffs

In the opening round of district play on February 19, the Cardinals smashed East Union at home, 69-28. Nine different Cardinals scored, with Alan leading the way with 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting, including 4 3-pointers.

Bedford gave the Cards a pretty good tussle in round two on February 14, but Earlham shot a sizzling 73% for the game and pulled away in the 2^nd half to win, 78-55. Alan was hot again, making 8 of 9 shots, and scored 24 points. Moose had 16 and Leporte had 12.

In most seasons, the crowds at Earlham basketball games consist mostly of family, friends, and the student section, of course, along with a smattering of hardcore Cardinal fans that don’t fall into any of those groups. As this season wore on, though, word got out about this team and the stands started to fill up. People weren’t just jumping on the bandwagon—they were coming out to be entertained. The team was fun, fast, and athletic and scored a ton.

The crowds grew during the playoffs and the Earlham fans followed their team in droves once they hit the road in the playoffs. A noisy, energetic crowd greeted the Cardinals in Truro on February 26, when they took on Murray (19-4) in the substate final in Truro.

The Cardinals were crisp from the opening tap, but the Mustangs hung tough. Murray led, 10-9, with just under 3 minutes to go in the 1^st, but Earlham scored 11 points in a row to go up by 10. Murray hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to make the score 20-13 after 1.

Murray kept the game close for the first couple minutes of the 2^nd, but Earlham gradually pulled further ahead and led, 39-27, at halftime.

The Cards led, 45-34, near the 6-minute mark in the 3^rd. Keyed by their swarming defense, the Cardinals closed the quarter on a 15-0 run to all but put the game away. Coach Williamson cleared his bench halfway through the 4^th quarter and the Cardinals won, 74-48.

Moose led all scorers with 20 points. Alan had 14 and Leporte had 13.

Next up was the substate final against Grand View Christian. One more win and the Cards, who were on a 9-game win streak, were onto state.

That season was Grand View Christian’s first in their era of dominance that has lasted for a decade. With just one loss on the season, they were favored in the game against the Cardinals on February 28.

Coach Williamson had a lot more on his mind than basketball and teaching 4^th grade that season. For several years, his daughter, Taelor, had been dealing with a serious illness. It worsened that season and required several trips to Mayo Clinic. The physical and mental stress was taking its toll on the coach. On top of that, his team was getting ready to play for a trip to the state tournament. Nobody could blame him if he was a little out of sorts before the game. 

“I was a nervous wreck,” he said. “I told (assistant coach Tim) Harskamp, ‘I don’t know how I feel about this.’ We were in a long hallway, and there was a Bruno Mars song playing. What is it? Uptown Funk, or whatever. And I looked back and there was Andy and Moose in front everybody and they were singing and dancing. And I was like, ‘Holy (cow). We got this. These guys are so loose right now.’ I needed that that night.”

The big gym at Johnston High School pulsed with the energy from the crowd that filled both sides. The Cardinals couldn’t find any rhythm early, but their defense kept the high-scoring Thunder in check. The Cards trailed after 1, 14-9.

The Thunder stretched the lead to 7 with an early bucket in the 2^nd, but the Cards answered with a 10-0 run. After Moose made a layup, Alan stole the ball in the front court and drove for a layup-and-one. Moose scored on a putback and then made a free throw on the Cards’ next trip down the floor. After Leporte stole the ball, he drove and dished to Alan for a layup, and the Cards led, 19-16. The Thunder broke the run with a free throw, but they only made one more field goal in the quarter. The Cards scored on a short hook shot by Moose, a 3 by Alan, and a hook shot by Algreen. They led at the half, 26-20.

The Thunder didn’t know what hit them in the 3^rd quarter. The Cardinals’ crisp ball movement was dizzying, and defensively, the Cards swatted shots and stole the ball with regularity. Alan started the scoring with a 3, Moose followed with an elbow jumper, Zack Schreck scored on a putback, and the Cards had their biggest lead of the night, 33-20. After a Thunder bucket, the Cards answered with another run. Moose made 2 free throws. Algreen made a soft bounce pass to Moose, who made an easy layup. Leporte made a driving layup, Schreck scored right at the rim, and the Cards led, 41-22. Derek Hensley drove for a layup and Alan made a fadeaway 3-pointer in the right corner at the buzzer to give the Cards a 46-26 lead at the final break.

Grandview Christian averaged 70 ppg that season, so they were bound to get hot. They finally did, but the Cardinals matched them in a high-flying 4^th quarter. The Cards beat the Thunder’s full court pressure at times by throwing over the top of it, getting a handful of breakaway layups. The Cardinal ballhandlers were strong, and when they were fouled, they knocked down their free throws. The Thunder never made a dent in the lead, and Alan’s breakaway dunk late in the quarter was a bold punctuation mark to a near perfect Cardinal victory, 73-51.

Alan led all scorers with 23 points. Moose had 19 and Leporte added 12.

The Cards knew there was more work to be done, but for the time being, the celebration was on.

“After the game, we were huddled up as a team and Coach was saying something to us,” said Algreen. “We already had the banner. There was a short pause, and then we just ran over to the crowd with it, and they came out. It was awesome.”

The confident Cardinals were more than ready for what awaited them at the state tournament.

Part 3

At the Well

After storming through district play, the Cardinals headed to the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena with a 23-2 record.

High school basketball history is littered with teams that had great seasons but could not adjust to playing at state. Earlham had never been to the state tournament before—Coach Williamson included. How would he prepare his team to take that next step? That’s a tough job under normal circumstances, but Coach Williamson was also preoccupied with his daughter Taelor’s illness.

“It was a crazy time personally for me because I was back and forth between (Mayo Clinic in) Rochester, Minnesota, and Earlham trying to get to every practice,” he said. “Thank God for (assistant coaches James) Severson and (Tim) Harskamp, because they kind of held the fort down at home.”

But this Cardinal team was a special group. They didn’t need much more than a ‘minimalist’ coaching approach.

“Getting those guys ready was pretty easy because we just kept having practice,” said Coach Williamson. “They knew that they could beat anybody, and I really think that with their mentality and their confidence and their ability to pick each other up, my job was easy. It was just a matter of letting them play basketball and do their thing.”

The first opponent for the Cards on March 10 was Belle Plaine, who entered the tournament with a 25-1 record. Earlham fans turned out in force for the afternoon game, filling several sections in the lower bowl. The Cardinals were an easy team for the community to embrace. Sure, they won a lot, but they were also good kids that did things the right way.

The players certainly felt the love from their fans as they stepped onto the Wells Fargo floor for the first time.

“There were definitely nerves,” said Algreen, “but then you come out of the tunnel you see basically the whole town of Earlham in the seats. It’s awesome to have that community support backing us up. It was cool to see that.”

Whether it was nerves or just the physical adjustments to Wells Fargo, the game started slowly. The action was fast paced, but both teams struggled to make baskets.

“It’s a different experience for sure,” said Leporte. “Going from the small Earlham gym where the walls are right behind the baskets to the arena, where you’re shooting at a backboard that seems like it’s a million miles away because there’s no background behind it. It was a big adjustment getting on that court for the first time.”

Dan adjusted quicker than anybody. He came off the bench in the 2^nd quarter and ignited a Cardinal rally by draining 3 3-pointers in a row.

“It was fun,” he said. “Obviously, there were nerves. But I remember one year going down and watching state. Specifically for me, that was a lot of motivation because I really wanted to be out there doing it. Once you get out there, you’re just shooting a basketball. I felt pretty comfortable.”

Algreen scored 7 points in the 1^st quarter and the Cards and Plainsmen were tied at 11 after 1.

Belle Plaine scored the first 7 points of the 2^nd to take the lead, 18-11, but the Cards answered with an 18-0 run. Moose got it started with a turnaround jumper in the lane. Dan followed with his trio of 3-pointers. Defensively, the Cards utilized a half court trap, which forced some turnovers and threw the Belle Plaine offense out of rhythm. Moose scored two more times, with a putback and an elbow jumper, and Dan capped the rally with a layup-and-one. The Cards led, 29-18, and they led at halftime, 29-22.

The top three scorers for Belle Plaine were over 6 feet tall, but the Cardinal defense did a great job of keeping them away from the basket and contesting jump shots. The Cardinals simply didn’t allow the Plainsmen to get back into the game in the 2^nd half. After Dan made another 3 and Moose scored after a slick move in the paint, the Cards led, 42-29. They led, 47-38, after 3.

Belle Plaine got to within 8 points in the 4^th quarter, but the Cards put them away with an 8-0 run. Both teams cleared their benches with a couple minutes remaining in the game. The Cards won, 63-50.

Moose led the way with 16 points and Dan and Algreen both scored 15.

The Cardinal’s confidence had been a critical factor in the team getting to this point, and now it was at an all-time high.

“Once you get one win on the board, you realize quickly that you belong,” said Alan. “It’s not some crazy task to win on the Wells floor. I think that first win gave us confidence. Then, obviously, we had a very tough opponent the second game.”

Next up for the Cardinals was unbeaten and top-ranked Gladbrook-Reinbeck on March 12. The Rebels had it all: great size, high-scoring guards, and talented post players. Slowing them down would be a challenge.

The hard-nosed Cardinal defense did its job from the opening tap. Nothing came easy for the high-scoring Rebels, who averaged 73 ppg and 7 made 3-pointers per game. But the Rebel defense was built of similar stuff, and the Cardinal offense struggled to get anything going. The Cards trailed, 12-8, after the 1^st quarter.

The slow pace of the game continued, with most of the action in the half court. With no shot clock, there were plenty of long possessions by both teams. The game was tightly called by the officials (29 total fouls), which slowed things down even more. With 3-point shots not available, the Gladbrook-Reinbeck guards did find some success driving to the basket. The Cards trailed at halftime, 27-20.

The slow grind continued in the 2^nd half. The Cards got within 4 points of the Rebels in the 3^rd quarter, but that’s as close as they would get. They trailed, 38-28, after 3.

The Cards kept pace with the Rebels for most of the 4^th quarter but could not cut the deficit. Several late free throws by the Rebels pushed the final score to 60-45. For Gladbrook-Reinbeck, the point total was their 2^nd lowest for the season, while the 45 points was the lowest output for the Cardinals.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck was an excellent team. They would go onto complete their undefeated season with a convincing win in the state title game over MVAOCOU. There was no reason for the Cardinals to hang their heads after that loss. Still, losing when you’re just one game way from playing for a state title is not easy. But the Cards had to regroup. They would play for 3^rd place the next day.

The team had no problem bouncing back mentally.

“We were still playing for something,” said Alan. “In our mind, we were a team that had never been there. So, 3rd place sounds a lot better than 4th. That’s on the podium. So that was still something to play for, for sure.”

The Earlham contingent in the stands at Wells Fargo swelled for the semifinal game, and it was only slightly smaller for the 3^rd-place game on Friday afternoon. This team had touched the community, and many folks wanted to see things through to the end. School was closed for the third time that week, allowing the kids to come see the games.

“Those games were right in the middle of the day,” said Coach Williamson. “It was a commitment for everybody. The kids at school; they’re going to support the team no matter what. But for the community members to take a day off work and go down—that was pretty cool to see.”

From the opening tap of the 3^rd-place game, it was evident that Danville wanted to end their season with a win, too. They were undefeated coming into the state tournament and lost their semifinal game by 2 points. They had four players that averaged in double figures and scored nearly 77 ppg.

The teams got off to a hot start. Alan, Dan, and Leporte made 3-pointers for the Cards and they led, 17-14, halfway through the 1^st. But both teams got cold and did not score for the rest of the period.

Danville went ahead, 20-19, early in the 2^nd and there were four more lead changes and one tie over the rest of the quarter, and the Bears led at halftime, 30-29.

Moose opened the 3^rd with a layup, but Danville went on a 15-6 run to lead, 45-37, late in the quarter. Leporte made a driving layup and then 2 free throws to cut the deficit in half, and the Cards trailed at the final break, 45-41.

The 4^th quarter got off to an inauspicious start for the Cardinals with two bad, and uncharacteristic, turnovers. Danville could not take advantage, though, and the Cards broke the scoring ice in the frame when Alan made a fast-break layup, was fouled, and converted the free throw. Moose followed with a 10-foot floater in the lane and the Cardinals had the lead, 46-45. After a Danville free throw, Leporte drained a 3. After another Danville free throw, Alan made another layup after the Cards broke the Bears’ formidable three-quarter court press. Danville sandwiched a layup-and one and another layup around 2 free throws by Moose, and the Cards led, 53-52, with 2:57 to go.

The Cards left no doubt after that. Alan sank a 3-pointer at 1:42. Moose then made a steal in the Danville front court and threw a laser beam baseball pass to a streaking Leporte for a layup. 58-52, Cards. After a steal by Alan, he made 2 free throws with 55 seconds to play. After a Danville miss, Algreen made a free throw, then missed the second, but Moose grabbed the rebound and scored with 38 seconds left. Danville did not foul after their next missed shot, and the Cards dribbled out the clock.

A ’meaningless’ 3^rd-place game? Hardly. The Cards had capped the best season in Earlham history with a win over a great team at the biggest arena in Iowa in front of fans that adored and appreciated them.

“To me, it settled in when we got to the locker room,” said Dan. “Canyon started crying and then I almost started crying. It was like a gateway. So I think we felt how big it was pretty quickly.”

Leporte added, “It was a lot different feeling—congratulating each other after the last game of the season instead of just wishing everybody the best. We were crying happy tears instead of bad tears. We were happy about what we accomplished.” “I’ve been doing this at one level or another for 29 years, and 20 years as a varsity coach,” said Coach Williamson, “and one time I can say I won my last game of the year. It’s crazy because you just don’t usually end the season with a smile on your face. There’s usually tears and telling guys you appreciate what they’ve done for four years, and that one was super special. There were tears, but it was like, ‘You should be damn proud of what you did.’ And it was so cool to have that experience.”