Class 5A hoops: Zoe Young and West Des Moines Valley power past City High in overtime

Even if it takes Zoe Young a second to warm up, there’s little doubt she’ll be ready to roll in winning time.

Monday was another prime example.

The Maryland signee had 20 of her game-high 30 points after halftime as No. 5 West Des Moines Valley pulled away from fourth-seeded City High, 66-59, in Monday’s Class 5A quarterfinal at Wells Fargo Arena.

“She’s the most talented player I’ve ever coached,” Tigers coach Josef Sigrist said. “She’s an amazing player. That’s why she’s going to Maryland after this year. We do everything through Zoe.”   

Young finished 11-for-18 from the field, including 4-for-6 from deep, with 10 rebounds. She scored seven of Valley’s nine overtime points to help the Tigers pull away in the extra session. They’ll face Johnston in Thursday’s 10 a.m. semifinal.

Top 2020 prospect Rose Nkumu had 25 points for the Little Hawks, including a game-tying trey with 33 seconds to go in regulation. Iowa State commit Aubrey Joens added 19 points, but City didn’t have quite enough firepower down the stretch.

“Zoe is one person who can take over when she wants to, and that’s what she did in the end,” Nkumu said. “She was creating for herself and kicked it out when she needed to. That’s a really tough person to guard.”

Even so, City was right there until the end. Nkumu exploded for 13 first-quarter points, and the Little Hawks turned up the pressure in forcing 19 Valley turnovers.

Needing a clutch shot to get to overtime, Nkumu grabbed the offensive rebound and fired away as the clock ticked down. The shot was straight and pure. It seemed for a moment that City had weathered the Zoe storm.

“I knew we had to get a quick shot in whatever situation,” Nkumu said of her game-tying three. “I think Shea (Fuller) had gotten lost on me, so I had an opening and I took it. I felt pretty good about my shooting. I was just happy we made it to overtime, and I was hoping we could just get that extra push.”

Young had other ideas.       

“There was a momentum swing for our team (in overtime),” Young said. “I think in the fourth quarter and third quarter, we were really rushed. It was a really fast-paced game, and City High is a good team. They apply a lot of pressure. So just being able to calm down and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got four more minutes. Let’s take care of the ball and execute.’   

“I’ve been here before. This is my third time being (at state). I’ve been in the state championship game before. The first game is always the worst, always the most jittery, especially against a good team. It takes me a second to get in a rhythm, but it was good after that.”    

BOX SCORE

W.D.M Valley   14   20   10   13   9 —   66

City High          20   9   11   17   2   —   59

W.D.M Valley (18-5) — Young 30, Honnold 15, Plummer 9, Chappell 8, Fuller 2, Spann 2. Totals 22-42 8-17 66.

City High (19-3) — Nkumu 25, Joens 19, Westlake 6, Rocca 5, Cook 4. Also played: Kelly-Harvey, Richardson. Totals 22-58 9-32 59.

Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.