The Unity Christian High School Knights are state champions once again.
Unity Christian defeated Kuemper Catholic High School 67–64 Friday night at the Casey’s Center to win the Class 2A boys state basketball championship. The title is the program’s first since 2005 and the fifth in school history.
The win also continues Northwest Iowa’s dominance in Class 2A, as teams from the region have now won seven consecutive state championships.
Unity Christian set the tone early in the championship game, opening with a 12–0 run and building a 19–8 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Kuemper responded in the second quarter, outscoring the Knights 24–15 to briefly take the lead. But Unity regained momentum just before halftime when Brayden Harskamp drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer, sending the Knights into the locker room with a 34–32 lead.
The second half turned into a back-and-forth battle between the top two teams in Class 2A, with several lead changes as both teams traded runs.
Junior Tyce Van Donge delivered a standout performance for Unity Christian, finishing with 25 points while controlling the offense and knocking down key free throws late in the game.
Van Donge said the championship meant even more after coming up short in the state tournament the past two seasons.
Unity continued to get contributions across the lineup. Brayden Harskamp finished with 13 points, including the buzzer-beating three before halftime and another big three-pointer late in the fourth quarter. Keagen Winterfeld added 12 points, while Dylan Bosma and Austin Wieringa made key plays on both ends of the floor.
Unity head coach Cody Harskamp said Brayden stepping up on the biggest stage made a major difference.
The Knights shot 54.5% from the field in the game while holding Kuemper to just over 43% shooting. Unity also made several key defensive stops down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Van Donge said getting off to a strong start was a major focus heading into the championship matchup.
Van Donge and Bosma were both named to the Class 2A All-Tournament Team, with Van Donge also selected as the team captain.
Bosma said winning the championship with this group made the accomplishment even more special.
Unity Christian finishes the season 25–2 overall and claims the Class 2A state championship after defeating Western Christian, Regina Catholic, and Kuemper Catholic during its tournament run.
The title also places the Knights in a unique position in Iowa high school basketball history. Unity Christian won the final state championship played at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in 2005 and now also wins the final Class 2A title at Casey’s Center, formerly known as Wells Fargo Arena, as the boys state tournament is scheduled to move to Hilton Coliseum beginning in 2027.
