Norwalk Basketball Teams Sweep Conference Titles

Girls earn second straight, boys win first outright since 2019

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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The Norwalk High School basketball teams both captured Little Hawkeye Conference titles on Friday night. The Warrior girls defeated Oskaloosa 81-34 to earn their second consecutive conference championship, while the Norwalk boys rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat Oskaloosa 53-47 and clinch their first outright conference title since 2019.

Why it matters

Norwalk's basketball programs have established themselves as powerhouses in the Little Hawkeye Conference, with the girls team now winning back-to-back titles and the boys team returning to the top of the league after a few down years. These conference championships set both teams up for strong postseason runs as they pursue state titles.

The details

The Norwalk girls, ranked #3 in Class 4A, led wire-to-wire against Oskaloosa, at one point going up by 50 points. Sophomore Braylyn Birmingham scored 33 points on 67% shooting, cementing her status as one of the state's top scorers. The Norwalk boys trailed Oskaloosa 35-31 in the third quarter but rallied in the fourth, outscoring the Indians 22-12 to win 53-47. Tillman Papcun led the Warriors with 16 points.

  • The games were played on Friday, February 14, 2026.
  • The Norwalk girls finished the regular season 19-2 overall and 11-1 in conference play.
  • The Norwalk boys finished the regular season 14-5 overall and 10-2 in conference play.

The players

Braylyn Birmingham

A sophomore at Norwalk High School who scored 33 points in the conference title game and is the #2 scorer in the state across all classes.

Hannah Overholser

A senior on the Norwalk girls basketball team who contributed 12 points in the conference championship win.

Tillman Papcun

A player on the Norwalk boys basketball team who led the Warriors with 16 points in their conference title-clinching victory.

Joe Sigrist

The head coach of the Norwalk girls basketball team.

Aaron Pelzer

The head coach of the Norwalk boys basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“Conference champs: that's the first goal of ours as a team, and we accomplished that, so now bigger ones lie ahead. It's postseason time, and it's time to march to March.”

— Joe Sigrist, Head Coach, Norwalk Girls Basketball (KNIA Sports)

“I don't think anything like this happens without everyone on the team starring with our role. Our bench energy has been awesome; those guys bring the energy in practice. I'm just proud of us, one through 18.”

— Aaron Pelzer, Head Coach, Norwalk Boys Basketball (KNIA Sports)

What’s next

The Norwalk girls will begin their postseason on Saturday, February 21, playing the winner of Perry and Lewis Central. The Norwalk boys will finish their regular season with nonconference matchups at Dowling Catholic on February 15 and #2 in 3A ADM on February 18, before awaiting their postseason bracket.

The takeaway

Norwalk's basketball programs have solidified their status as conference powers, with the girls team winning back-to-back titles and the boys team returning to the top of the league. These championships set the stage for deep postseason runs as both teams pursue state titles and cement Norwalk's reputation as a basketball powerhouse in Iowa.