JEFF B | Iowa Prep Illustrated / Iowa Grandstand Sports

STORM LAKE — A message of proceed with caution should have been issued to the Cherokee boys basketball team Tuesday as it was warming up for its Lakes Conference matchup against Storm Lake.

Tornado Fieldhouse was the setting for the battle of uneaten and ranked teams: Cherokee Class 2A fifth ranked by Iowa Prep Illustrated / Iowa Grandstand Sports and host Storm Lake which was second ranked in Class 3A. Both teams had identical 4-0 records.

With a season-high 87 points, and individually a career-best 34 points by senior Cameron Boyd, Storm Lake blew through Cherokee 87-67.

It makes it the 11th consecutive home win by Storm Lake in Tornado Fieldhouse. It also marks Cherokee’s third consecutive loss to the Tornadoes since a two-point win by the Braves on Jan. 23, 2024.

Cherokee has a distinct 26-10 disadvantage in won-losses versus Storm Lake since 2007 and the beginning of the Bound Era. `

Very early on it was a 2-2 tie. Less than 1-1/2 minutes later Storm Lake was up 9-2. At the end of the first quarter, the Braves were faced with an 18 point (29-11) deficit.

It you enjoy back-and forth high scoring the second quarter was made for you. There was a combined 52 points. Cherokee won the quarter 27-25, but was still looking up at a 54-38 deficit at halftime. Cherokee shot 44 percent (14-of-32), including 6-of-15 from beyond the 3-point arch the first half. Storm Lake was an incredible 24-of-37 (65%) shooting overall from the floor in the opening half of play.

Braves’ leading scorer on the season Coy Lewis was held scoreless the first half, sitting most of it with three fouls. Lewis’ first points of the game finally came with 3:20 remaining in the third quarter on a short-range basket. With 6:42 remaining to be played, Lewis picked up his fourth foul, and a brief time later (4:37) fouled out of the contest with having scored only four points, and secured six rebounds.

Cherokee trailed 71-51 after three quarters of play.

Offensively leading the way was Jaxon Paulsrud’s 23 points. Christian Vander Broek and Landon Stowater each recorded 10 points.

Storm Lake managed to put up 13 more shot attempts, finishing 37-of-68 (54.4%) shooting from the floor. Creighton signee Jayden Coons dominated the boards with 16 and completed the double-double performance with 21 points. David William and Gabrieno Weno each finished scoring 10 points.

The host Tornadoes were dominant on the boards. Cherokee finished a minus -18 (41-23).

Up Next

This loss stings a bit for Cherokee. The Braves record falls to 4-1. They will look to return to the win column tonight when they travel to Spirit Lake (0-4).

Teams	1	2	3	4	Final
Cherokee	11	27 (38)	13 (51)	16	67
Storm Lake	29	25 (54)	17 (71)	16	87

Cherokee Record: 4-1 | Storm Lake Record: 5-0

Storm Lake Leading Scorer (s): Cameron Boyd 34, Jaidyn Coon 21.

Storm Lake Leading Rebounder: Coon 16.

Largest Lead: Storm Lake 87-63, fourth quarter
Rebound Margin: Cherokee -18 (41-23)

Cherokee Scoring:  Blake Lovell 6, Christian Vander Broek 10, Coy Lewis 4, Landon Stowater 10, Jaxon Paulsrud 23, Cameron Kohn 6, Brock Kannegieter 2, Lincoln Mortenson 0, Wyatt Ludvigson 2, Kyle Waldner 2, Peyton Gunn 0, Caden Frederiksen 0, Max Ruschman 2, Tyson Fuller 0, Cooper Nixon 0.

Cherokee Statistics
Field Goals Overall: 26-55 (47.3)
3-Pt. Field Goals: 8-19 (42.1)
Free Throws: 7-11 (63.6)
Assists (9): Paulsrud 4, Stowater 2, Lovell 1, Vander Broek 1, Ludvigson 1.
Steals (5): Lovell 2, Paulsrud 2, Kannegieter 1.
Rebounds (23): Lewis 6, Paulsrud 3, Vander Broek 3, Lovell 3, Stowater 2, Kanneigiter 1, Mortenson 1, Gunn 1, Waldner 1, Kohn 1, Fuller 1.
Blocked Shots (0): 

Cherokee girls basketball at Storm Lake

After briefly allowing Storm Lake to hang around in its Lakes Conference matchup, Iowa Prep Illustrated / Iowa Grandstand Sports Class 3A third-ranked Cherokee girls flipped the power switch to on and quickly began to establish control and tempo — ‘Controlled Chaos’!

The Braves left their mark with a 64-41 victory, improving to 5-0 on the season.

It was tied 5-5 at the five minute mark of the first quarter. Cherokee broke the tie with a 9-0 run, ending the quarter leading 14-7. Following a 6-0 run by Storm Lake to cut its deficit to eight points (22-13), Cherokee returned the favor with a 6-0 run of its own to close out the first half.

At the break Cherokee led by 14 points (31-17), the same numbers of turnovers (14) by the host Tornadoes in the first half of play.

Baskets by sophomore Jillian Paulsrud of Cherokee with 3:12 remaining it the third quarter, and Anna Nixon with 2:56 left was part of a Braves’ 10-0 run giving the team a 24-point lead (46-22).

Don’t count out the Braves’ junior thoroughbreds not making an impact. Deidra Doeden finished her 25th career double-double with a game-high’s in points (20) and rebounds (13). Addy Wolfswinkel had 19 points to go with five assists, four steals, and two rebounds. Paulsrud also had 10 rebounds for Cherokee.

Doing their bests to try and keep Storm Lake in this one was senior Avery DeHaan and younger sister Reagan, a freshman. The elder DeHaan had a team-best 16 points to go with three steals, two blocked shots, two rebounds and an assist. The younger version of DeHaan, Reagan tallied nine points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Storm Lake falls below .500 at 3-4 on the season.

Up Next

It should be quite a donneybrook tonight in Spirit Lake as Cherokee (5-0) and No. 3-ranking on the line against Iowa Prep Illustrated / Iowa Grandstand Sports No. 9-ranked Spirit Lake (4-1). The last time these two meet up against one another in Spirit Lake, the host Indians shocked Cherokee 61-55 (Dec. 20, 2024)

Teams	1	2	3	4	Final
Cherokee	14	17 (31)	21 (52)	12	63
Storm Lake	7	10 (17)	8 (25)	16	41

Cherokee Record: 5-0 | Storm Lake Record: 3-4

Storm Lake Leading Scorer (s): Avery DeHaan 16, Reagan DeHaan 9.

Storm Lake Leading Rebounder: Grace Kenkel 6, Abby Bodholdt 6.

Largest Lead: Cherokee 54-25, fourth quarter
Rebound Margin: Cherokee +4 (34-30)

Cherokee Scoring:  Jillian Paulsrud 5, Macy Gravenish 0, Deidra Doeden 20, Kadyn Volkert 9, Addy Wolfswinkel 19, Nora Hare 3, Bryn Lewis 3, Anna Nixon 5, Ava Kremer 0, Kenda Smith 0, Mya Benson 0, Ally Timmerman 0, Avalyn Pruitt 0.

Cherokee Statistics
Field Goals Overall: 26-56 (39.4)
3-Pt. Field Goals: 8-32 (25.0)
Free Throws: 4-7 (57.1)
Assists (14): Wolfswinkel 5, Gravenish 4, Paulsrud 3, Volkert 1, Nixon 1.
Steals (10): Wolfswinkel 4, Lewis 2, Kremer 1, Volkert 1, Hare 1, Nixon 1.
Rebounds (34): Doeden 13, Paulsrud 10, Wolfswinkel 2, Volkert 2, Nixon 2, Lewis 1, Kremer 1, Pruitt 1, Hare 1, Gravenish 1.
Blocked Shots (2): Doeden 1, Paulsrud 1.