DES MOINES — On Saturday night, Sioux City became Two City.

One week after the Sioux City Heelan girls claimed the Class 3-A state title, the Crusader boys gave the school a matching set of gold trophies for 2010, rallying from four points down with under three minutes to play for a 50-45 victory over Pella in the 3-A final at Wells Fargo Arena.

The Heelan boys also became the 17th school in Iowa history to win back-to-back state crowns. Heelan is the third school to win boys and girls titles in the same year, following Winfield-Mount Union in 1995 and Iowa City High in 2008.

The team's returning starters, seniors Alex Malloy and Zach McCabe, led the way with 17 and 16 points, respectively.

“When we walked in the locker room last year, Alex and Zach said, ‘Coach, we can do it again next year,''' Heelan coach Tom Betz said. “Those are two driven guys. They carried us most of the season.''

In front of more than 13,000 — a record crowd for the final night — the sixth-rated and seventh-seeded Crusaders (23-3) squandered a 13-point first-half lead before making most of the critical plays down the stretch.

Nathan Buchheit's 3-pointer with 5:26 remaining in the game put Pella on top 45-41. Neither team scored for the next three minutes, but then Heelan sophomore Michael Malloy scored on a drive to pull his team within two.

Michael Malloy then found brother Alex Malloy for a basket to tie things at 45 with 1:55 remaining.

Blaine Forsythe missed a layup at the 1:22 mark, and Heelan called time with 1:05 left. Josh Pringle nearly stole the inbounds pass from McCabe, but it took Pringle out of position, and McCabe charged to the basket and delivered the go-ahead score.

It was the 6-foot-7 Iowa recruit's first points of the second half.

“I was going to go to the basket no matter what,'' McCabe said. “We needed points and we were down.''

Buchheit then missed a tough shot in the lane, and Alex Malloy rebounded and was fouled. He made 1 of 2 with 16.6 seconds left for a 48-45 Heelan lead.

Buchheit then stepped on the sideline receiving a pass with 13.0 seconds left, turning it over to Heelan. Chris Karpuk sank two free throws with 8.4 seconds remaining to clinch it, and moments later, the Crusaders were dogpiling in the almost exact spot as their girls counterparts the week before.

“It just shows how good the basketball is at Heelan, boys and girls,'' said McCabe, who also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. “We work hard and we have great players.''

Heelan held Pella scoreless for the final 5:26 of the game, tallying the final nine points.

“You have to give credit to the Heelan defense,'' Pella coach Mark Core said. “We were told their defense gets tougher as the fourth quarter rolls around, and I think we found that out.''

Heelan, which finished with 21 turnovers, survived a rocky middle portion of the game, when it struggled to keep its poise against Pella's relentless full-court pressure.

“If we would have had Carli Tritz tonight, that pressure wouldn't have been a problem,'' quipped Betz, referring to Heelan's Miss Iowa Basketball, who led the girls team to the title.

Leading 31-19 at one point, the Crusaders had three straight turnovers late in the first half, and Pella turned them into six quick points during an 8-0 run that brought it within 31-27. McCabe's hanging bucket sent the Crusaders into the intermission with a 33-27 lead.

Then, Heelan started the second half with four straight turnovers. Seventh-rated Pella (21-5) scored the first seven points of the third quarter to lead by one, ensuring a tight finish.

But down the stretch, the Crusaders made all the plays. With 8.4 seconds left, the Heelan fans started chanting, “Just like last week.''

“It wasn't real pretty,'' Betz said. “We had to earn this one real hard. Last year it came a little easier. But I'm just proud of the kids. They deserved it, and they earned it.''

It was not only a banner winter season for Heelan, it was a banner day for the Sioux City metro area. Coach Terry Comstock's South Sioux City boys won their first state title, capturing the Nebraska Class B crown earlier in the day.

That fact was not lost upon Betz.

“I'm happy I'm sharing tonight with my buddy Terry Comstock,'' Betz said. “We pull for each other.''

McCabe was named captain of the all-tournament team, and Alex Malloy joined him on the squad along with Pella's Buchheit, Davenport Assumption's Joe Daniel and Mount Pleasant's Henry Kreiger-Coble. Mount Pleasant won the sportsmanship award, and Daniel won the student achiever's award.

Sioux City Heelan (23-3) .........................22 11  6 11—50
Pella (21-5)............................9 18 15  3—45
• SCH: David Kerian 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Malloy 6-11 5-6 17, Chris Karpuk 3-4 2-2 8, Michael Malloy 2-2 0-1 4, Zach McCabe 7-13 2-2 16, Shane Graves 1-3 3-4 5, Reed Buckstead 0-0 0-0 0, Nick Berger 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-33 12-15 50.
• P: Blaine Forsythe 6-11 1-2 14, Nathan Buchheit 5-14 2-2 13, Matt Dowie 1-6 0-0 2, Matt Meyers 2-5 1-1 5, Josh Pringle 2-5 0-1 4, Deckar Lynch 0-0 0-0 0, Teag Klyn 0-0 0-0 0, Nick Dorman 1-3 1-2 3, Chris Bandstra 1-4 0-0 2, Kyle Newendorp 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 19-49 5-8 45.
• 3-point goals: SCH 0-4 (Graves 0-1, McCabe 0-3), P 2-12 (Forsythe 1-2, Buchheit 1-5, Meyers 0-1, Pringle 0-1, Dowie 0-2). Total fouls: SCH 12, P 15. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Rebounds: SCH 26 (McCabe 12), P 21 (Meyers 5). Assists: SCH 6 (McCabe 2), P 9 (Buchheit 4). Steals: SCH 5 (McCabe 3), P 11 (Forsythe 4). Turnovers: SCH 21, P 13.

Contact the writer:

444-1055, kevin.white@owh.com

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