Springville wins an epic 1A final

DES MOINES — Alyssa Jaeger didn't fret about the enormity of the moment.

She focused on her form.

'I just wanted to keep my elbow in and stay calm,' she said.

Jaeger drained two free throws with 3.2 seconds left, sending third-ranked Springville past No. 1 Turkey Valley, 49-48, to win the Class 1A girls' state basketball championship Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

'You just can't put things like this into words,' Springville's Megan Wagaman said. 'You've got to let it sink in.'

You can say the same about this classic in general.

Springville (26-1) built a 15-point lead early in the third quarter, then Turkey Valley (26-1) stormed back behind the outside shooting of Emily Busta, who tied a tournament single-game record with 3-pointers.

Her sixth trey concluded a 14-0 run that put the Trojans in front, 45-40, with 4:50 left in the game. Her seventh snapped a seven-point Springville surge, giving Turkey Valley a 48-47 edge with 53 seconds left.

'Our coaches told us at halftime to settle down,' Busta said. 'When we were coming back, you could hear our crowd getting louder and louder.'

Springville turned it over, then Busta missed the front end of a one-and-one.

On the biggest possession of its season, the Orioles worked the ball to the right wing, where Madi Wagaman missed a mid-range jumper. Busta was called for a foul while battling for the rebound with Jaeger.

'I saw the shot was going to be off, so I had to go get it,' Jaeger said. 'Once I got inside position and I heard the whistle, I thought, 'Oh, goodness, here we go.''

A 73-percent free throw shooter this season, Jaeger hit both ends of a one-and-one.

'I didn't think about the situation, that the game was on the line,' she said. 'I just wanted to do it for my team.'

Turkey Valley only got a three-quarter-court fling at the end that was well short of the mark.

Springville's Mikayla Nachazel scored 20 points on 10-of 14 shooting and was named captain of the 1A all-tournament team. She was joined on the honor unit by Megan Wagaman, Turkey Valley's Morgan Kuennen and Shelby Reicks, Newell-Fonda's Erin Gerke and Burlington Notre Dame's Riley Kilbride.

'This feels amazing,' said Nachazel, who suffered through a rough championship game last year, and the Orioles lost it 45-43 to Newell-Fonda. 'It feels better because we've been on the other side of it.'

Nachazel scored six points in an early 10-0 run that put Springville up 10-2. Turkey Valley tied it at 10, then Springville scored 12 in a row for a 22-10 advantage, and led 30-19 at halftime.

Rylee Menster opened the second half with the first two buckets of the second half for a 34-19 bulge, then Turkey Valley rallied.

'We had to step up our defense,' Trojans Co-Coach Carletta Nymeyer said. 'We wanted more intensity from our press, because Nachazel was giving us huge problems in the half court.'

Its 15-point lead transformed into a five-point deficit, Springville could have folded. It didn't.

Back-to-back buckets by Menster and a free throw by Megan Wagaman forged a 45-all tie, then Nachazel's basket put Springville up 47-45 and set up the dramatic finish.

Menster added 11 points for the champions. Jaeger and both Wagaman sisters scored six.

Busta's 23 points led Turkey Valley. Kuennen tallied eight, Sadie Nymeyer seven. Reicks registered six points and nine assists.

'We can't hang our heads,' Reicks said. 'We're going to practice, practice, practice and get back here.'

While Turkey Valley was making its tournament debut this week, Springville was in the final for the fourth time since 2008. The Orioles won it that year, then fell just short in 2009 and 2015.

'There's a lot of satisfaction,' Springville Coach Nate Sanderson said. 'The banner from last year was affirming that we're doing things the right way. As far as culture, we run a unique program. So this is very gratifying.'

SPRINGVILLE 49, TURKEY VALLEY 48 (Class 1A State Championship)

At Des Moines

SPRINGVILLE (49): Megan Wagaman 2-6 2-3 6, Rylee Menster 4-9 2-2 11, Alyssa Jaeger 2-4 2-2 6, Madi Wagaman 3-5 0-0 6, Mikayla Nachazel 10-14 0-0 20, Chrissy Hoogland 0-0 0-0 0, Nichole Kane 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-38 6-7 49.

TURKEY VALLEY (48): Macie Njus 0-2 0-0 0, Shelby Reicks 3-10 0-0 6, Sadie Nymeyer 2-8 2-2 7, Morgan Kuennen 3-11 2-2 7, Delaney Lensing 1-1 0-0 2, Kayla Schaufenbuel 1-1 0-0 2, Emily Busta 8-15 0-1 23, Stephanie Martin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 4-5 48.

Halftime: Springville 30, Turkey Valley 19. 3-point goals: Springville 1-4 (Menster 1-3, Madi Wagaman 0-1), Turkey Valley 8-24 (Reicks 0-4, Nymeyer 1-6, Kuennen 0-1, Busta 7-13). Team fouls: Springville 8, Turkey Valley 13. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Springville 25 (Megan Wagaman, Nachazel 7), Turkey Valley 22 (Nymeyer 6). Assists: Springville 14 (Madi Wagaman 5), Turkey Valley 12 (Reicks 9). Steals: Springville 6 (Menster 3), Turkey Valley 6 (Reicks 2). Turnovers: Springville 14, Turkey Valley 11.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com