Matt Levins - The Hawk Eye / John Gaines Photography
The Notre Dame High School boys basketball team is still reaping the rewards for one of the best seasons in school history.
The Nikes qualified for the state tournament for the first time in 17 years, advancing to the Class 1A quarterfinals before falling to eventual state champion Fort Dodge St. Edmond.
Notre Dame, which finished with a 25-3 record and won the SEI Super Conference South Division title with a 14-0 record, landed two players on the all-state teams released Tuesday by the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association.
Senior Shay Stephens was named to the Class 1A first team, while junior Griffin Kies garnered Class 1A third team accolades.
Also earning all-state honors were Keokuk senior Jaxon Clark, a Class 3A first-team pick, and Holy Trinity senior Layne Rung, who was named to the Class 1A third team.
Stephens, who was named to the Class 1A all-tournament team at last week’s state tournament at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, averaged 24.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.5 blocks and 3.1 steals per game. He shot 61.6 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from 3-point range and 70.9 percent from the free-throw line.
A 6-foot-5 guard, Stephens will play for Western Illinois University next season.
Kies, a 6-foot shooting guard, averaged 10.7 points, 28 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.8 steals per game. He shot 46.5 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from 3-point range and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Rung, a 6-4 swing player, helped the Crusaders to a 16-8 record, including 7-7 in the South Division. He led the Crusaders to a district final, where they fell to Notre Dame in a tightly-contested game.
Rung averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He shot 40.5 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from 3-point range and 71.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Clark, a 6-10 post player, was a dominant force in the paint. He led the Chiefs to a 19-5 record and a spot in a substate final, where they fell to Pella after leading at halftime. Keokuk went 10-0 to win the Southeast Conference championship.
Clark averaged 28.3 points, 17.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He shot 67.2 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from 3-point range and 62.8 percent from the free-throw line.