DES MOINES - All season, Paul Elser insisted he simply stepped into a ride seemingly predestined for a run to Des Moines.

But if NU High's boys' basketball squad was the equivalent of a coupe souped up by the likes of his predecessor, Jon McKowen, then Elser at least added some key accessories.

"Yeah, I've walked into a good situation," the first-year Panther coach said this week. "Poise and patience are all I preach (to) them. … And here we are."

Yes, this week NU High cruised into the state capital firing on all cylinders. And, after a season that started with the Panthers briefly spinning in circles at 0-2, Elser's squad found itself in the Class 1A finals Friday.

So, after a 49-44 triumph over fifth-seeded George-Little Rock, NU High savored its victory lap.

"This was our top goal," said Elser. "We had our bumps and turns along the way, but we started having guys believe and wow!

"I'm just a fan right now."

Seventh-seeded NU knocked off three top-five teams in succession leading up to Friday's festivities - when the Panthers claimed their school's first state championship since girls' track in 2001.

Travis Ellerbroek led the way with a team-high 15 points, while his brother, Nick, added seven rebounds. And, in another key stat category, NU's bench outscored the Mustangs' 16-0.

"We've had a lot of close games all year. That gave us all (the confidence) we needed to know we could pull this off," explained NU senior Jay Miller, who held the state title trophy high over his head afterward, showing it off to the student body.

George-Little Rock, from the brutally tough Siouxland Conference, served as the antagonist sitting at the end of the NU's storybook run. And the Mustangs made things difficult for the Panthers in a first half that included nine ties before ending in a 27-all deadlock.

NU then recorded a 10-5 fourth-quarter run - jumping ahead 39-36 - to set the stage for a climactic finish.

Back and forth the Panthers and Mustangs went down the stretch.

NU's Travis Ellerbroek hoisted a key 3 with barely two minutes remaining. The result: It hit the front of the rim, then, the back of the rim, then the bottom of the net - Panthers 44, Mustangs 42.

NU (20-8) never trailed again, making four of six free-throw attempts in the final 59 seconds.

"I thought, 'That was a horrible shot,'" a smiling Travis said, recalling his initial impression after releasing the back-breaking 3-ball. "It wasn't a swish, but I'm taking those three points.

"That (shot) gave us a ton of confidence," added Travis, one of six NU seniors. "Then, we just started playing amazing from there on."

Indeed, despite a gritty effort from guard Mack Vande Kamp, who tallied a game-high 21 points, G-LR (21-7) never recovered after Ellerbroek's longball.

For NU, winter 2008 was one truly wild ride - one their old coach, McKowen, enjoyed from a distance, even while his new team, Ottawa (Kan.) High School, drove back from its own state tournament this week.

"I got to watch (the Panthers) develop, and to have that pay off is nice to see," McKowen said Friday. "It's just a group of kids that have been driven for this moment since middle school."

The Panthers started this season with those two, troublesome losses. And, according to Elser, they didn't get in a rhythm until consecutive one-point setbacks to Union High and Dike-New Hartford at midseason.

But, in the end, the smallest school remaining in the state tournament - Price Lab, enrollment 103 in grades 9-11 - hung with the big boys of the smallest division.

And, they were led by a new coach whose resume included stops in Saudi Arabia and Cairo.

What a wild ride, indeed.

"We grew up a lot as the year went on," said Elser. "And I told the young guys in the locker room, 'Remember this … because next year we can do it again."

Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com

Tourney tidbits

NU officials plan to honor the Panthers at a reception at NU's gym today at 6 p.m.

NU's old coach, McKowen, doubled his postseason pleasure this week, taking his new Ottawa team to Kansas' state tournament, where it bowed out in round one, ending an 18-6 season for the Class 4A club. McKowen received periodic cell phone updates from NU parents in Des Moines. "It's kind of been a fun, different roller-coaster (ride) with them," McKowen noted, "talking to parents during the games. Through the phone, I've kinda lived (NU's run) with them."

Nick and Travis Ellerbroek were two of the top four scorers this week among the 1A contingent. All told, the twins combined to torment opponents for 90 total points in three games this week. "They're stepping up to another level," Elser said of the brothers, who both made the all-tournament team. Nick captained the 1A honor squad and also led the tournament field with a total of 23 rebounds this week.

The Panthers finished the season with wins in 13 of their final 16 games. And, after its seventh appearance at the state tournament, NU is now 8-6 all-time in Des Moines.

After shooting better than 50 percent in each second half in the first two rounds in Des Moines, NU survived 33-percent shooting in Friday's final 16 minutes. However, Elser's squad offset the shaky shooting by committing just eight total turnovers.

NU High Mn FG-A FT-A Rb As PF TP

B. Peterson 17 0-4 0-0 2 0 1 0

N. Ellerbroek 32 2-8 4-7 7 0 3 8

T. Ellerbroek 31 5-6 2-3 4 1 2 15

B. Denning 26 3-9 0-0 0 1 2 7

J. Miller 13 1-5 1-1 1 0 2 3

J. McKenna 21 3-6 0-0 3 0 1 7

E. Diemer 19 3-5 3-4 3 1 1 9

K. Denning 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0

Team 0

Totals 160 17-43 10-15 25 3 12 49

G-LR Mn FG-A FT-A Rb As PF TP

M. Vande Kamp 32 7-16 2-2 0 0 2 21

A. Hopp 27 0-4 0-0 2 1 3 0

T. Starr 31 2-7 4-4 9 1 3 8

T. Fiedler 32 4-5 3-6 5 3 0 11

W. Peters 25 2-3 0-0 7 2 4 4

J. Rypkema 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0

E. Dirks 9 0-1 0-0 2 0 1 0

J. Tiedeman 4 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0

Team 1

Totals 160 15-36 9-12 27 7 14 44

NU High 15 12 4 18 - 49

G-LR 15 12 6 11 - 44

3-point goals - NU High 5-18 (Peterson 0-4, N. Ellerbroek 0-1, T. Ellerbroek 3-4, Miller 0-2, McKenna 1-4); G-LR 5-13 (Vande Kamp 5-11, Hopp 0-2). Blocked shots - NU High 1 (Diemer); G-LR 4 (Dirks 3). Steals - NU High 10 (B. Denning 3); G-LR 2 (Vande Kamp 2).

Officials - Scott Giles, Brad Baker, Jerry Winter.