GREENFIELD — Nodaway Valley coach Darrell Burmeister got his team’s attention at halftime by stripping them of a precious label.

With two key starters on the bench, saddled with two fouls each, the Wolverines stalled and went scoreless for five minutes in the second quarter here Thursday night as Mount Ayr finished the half on a 10-0 run to close it to 40-24. NV had bolted in front 32-14 in the first quarter on the strength of three 3-pointers, and moved it to 40-14 before the lull.

“I always told them they were my best basketball IQ team,” Burmeister said of his fourth-ranked Wolverines. “I took that away from them at halftime. I said, my state championship team (2006) was my best basketball IQ team.”