Meskawki junior Sade Kapayou (15) defends against GMG freshman Addi Elmore during the Class 1A Region 5 quarterfinal girls basketball game played Tuesday, Feb. 17 at Meskwaki Settlement School. PHOTO BY WENDY WITT/MESKWAKI MEDIA

ARMSTRONG — The Meskwaki girls basketball team traveled three hours to Armstrong on Friday, Feb. 20, to face the North Union Warriors in the third round of the Class 1A playoffs. After a strong comeback effort in the final quarter, Meskwaki fell, 51-44, and ended their very successful season.

Three point baskets hurt Meskwaki in the game, with North Union connecting on four in the first quarter alone, and eight in total for the game. Meskwaki took an 8-7 lead midway through the first quarter, after junior Dorothy Bear connected on a close put-back basket. But North Union went on a 24-10 run for the rest of the first half and took a 31-18 lead into the halftime locker room.

After North Union scored the first five points of the second half, including another three-pointer, it looked like it might be a runaway win. Meskwaki was down by as much as 18 but chipped away to trail 41-26 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Meskwaki showed the grit and toughness they displayed all season by mounting a comeback in the final minutes. Meskwaki’s full-court press started to give North Union fits, and they cut the lead to 9 points after a basket by freshman Martha Blackcloud and free throws by junior Isabella Kapayou.

A few minutes later, quick three-point baskets by Bear and junior Eva Roberts cut the lead to a mere 5 points with one minute to play. However, North Union was able to run out the clock and convert on their free throws to seal the victory, 51-44.

On the night, Meskwaki was led in scoring by Kapayou, who poured in 18 points. Bear contributed 14 points, with Blackcloud (8) and Roberts (4) rounding out the scoring. Bear led the team with 10 rebounds, while Blackcloud led with 4 assists.

With the loss, Meskwaki ended their season with a final record of 18-4. For head coach Heath Brown and the program, it is the most wins since 2022, when they went 18-5. The team won the Iowa Star Conference south division, and won their first two playoff games. They also went 6-0 against their county rivals: STC, GMG (3 wins), and North Tama (2 wins).

For the season, according to statistics on Bound, Meskwaki was led in scoring by Bear (312), Blackcloud (239), Roberts (177), freshman Bree Scabbyrobe (176), and Kapayou (158). They were led in rebounding by Bear (163); and assists (75) and steals (100) by Blackcloud. The Warriors will return their entire varsity roster next winter for the 2026-2027 season.