Norwalk celebrated the 25^th anniversary of its first state championship by winning another.

All-tournament captain Hannah Noel scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half and the second-ranked Warriors used sizzling 3-point shooting to beat No. 1 Ballard 54-43 Saturday night for the Class 3A title.

Norwalk won the six-player championship in 1981 and now has a trophy in the five-player game to add to its collection. The Warriors avenged a 73-70 regular-season loss to Ballard and finished 26-2.

Norwalk’s confidence never wavered despite trailing 29-16 at halftime and going 0-for-6 from 3-point range in the first two quarters. The Warriors kept shooting and it paid off.

They started the third quarter by making five straight 3-pointers to tie the score at 33-all. Noel hit three 3s during that stretch, then sank two more early in the fourth quarter to put Norwalk ahead to stay at 42-38.

In the third quarter alone, Norwalk went 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. The Warriors finished the half 8-for-12.

Norwalk also tightened its defense, holding Ballard to five field goals in the second half after the Bombers shot 59 percent (13-for-22) in the opening half.

Kelsey Cermak added 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Norwalk. Teammate Brittani Pritchard scored six points, including a key layup and a free throw to help the Warriors hold the lead down the stretch.

Alison Lacey led Ballard with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Freshman Amanda Zimmerman added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Bombers, who played in the championship for the first time and finished 26-1.

The all-tournament team:
Hannah Noel, Norwalk, captain

Kelsey Cermak, Norwalk

Alison Lacey, Ballard

Amanda Zimmerman, Ballard

Ally Jensen, Ballard

Kelli Goeser, Harlan