CLASS 1-A SEMI-FINALS:

Springville 68, Exira/EHK 57

Springville’s smallest player and one of its youngest carried the Orioles to the Class 1A championship game.

The 11th-ranked Orioles raced to a 19-2 lead, then held off a spirited comeback by No. 2 Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton for a 68-57 semifinal victory that ended the Spartans’ unbeaten season.

Springville improved to 22-3 and will play No. 7 Newell-Fonda in the championship game at 6 p.m. Friday. It’s a rematch of the 2008 title game, which Springville won 67-60. Springville also reached the finals in 2009, when it lost a one-point game to AGWSR.

Sarah Matus, a 5-foot senior, hit six 3-pointers and led Springville with 23 points. Freshman Rylee Menster scored 19 on 7-of-9 shooting, made seven steals and combined with Matus to foil the Spartans’ comeback attempt.

Another freshman, Mikayla Nachazel, added 14 points for the Orioles, while junior Megan Wagaman has six points and 11 rebounds.

Freshman Sophia Peppers led Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton (25-1) with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Mara Burmeister scored 14 points, Maggie Rasmussen 11 and Rachel Smith 10. Rasmussen also grabbed 10 rebounds and Burmeister made five steals.

Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton missed its first 11 shots and found itself trailing 25-6 at one point. But the Spartans never gave up and they twice got within four points, the first time at 35-31 midway through a third quarter.

But an odd technical foul that occurred as the Spartans were making a substitution blunted their momentum and Matus rattled off seven quick points — a free throw on the technical and two straight 3-pointers — for a 42-31 lead.

The Spartans charged back again and consecutive 3s by Burmeister drew them to 43-39. Springville didn’t let them get any closer. Menster and Matus combined for all of their team’s points in a 12-2 run that upped the lead to 55-41 and put the Orioles out of danger. Menster drove for three layups after stealing the ball in that burst and Matus knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.

Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton made the state tournament for the first time as a combined program, which formed after Exira won the state championship in 2010.

CLASS 2-A SEMI-FINALS:

Unity Christian 58, South Central Calhoun 47

Unity Christian is getting another chance to win a state championship.

The top-ranked and unbeaten Knights pulled away at the end of the first half and rolled to a 58-42 victory over No. 6 South Central Calhoun to earn a spot in the Class 2A title game.

Chanda Zomermaand led Unity (26-0) with 22 points on some sharp shooting. The 5-foot-7 junior went 4-for-6 from 3-point range, shot 5-for-8 overall and made 8 of her 9 free throws.

Deidra Noteboom came off the bench to add 12 points and seven rebounds for the Knights, who lost to MOC-Floyd Valley in last year’s Class 3A championship game. Kassidy De Jong had 10 points and seven boards in the winning effort, while Anna Kiel was solid with seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Zomermaand hit two 3-pointers to spark a 13-2 Unity run that closed the first half and produced a 30-15 lead. That proved to be all the cushion the Knights needed. The lead was never below 10 points in the second half and the Knights stayed in control by making eight straight free throws down the stretch.

Haley Birks and Tyffaney Toms scored 11 points each to lead South Central Calhoun (23-3), which made the tournament for the first time in its current makeup as a district. Kori Assman had eight points, five rebounds and three assists for the Titans, who continued to hustle but couldn’t overcome their scoring drought late in the first half.

North Linn 73, Western Christian 71 (OT)

 

CLASS 3-A SEMI-FINALS:

CLASS 4-A SEMI-FINALS: