North Linn sizzles its way to the 1A girls’ basketball state title

DES MOINES — North Linn wasn’t perfect. But it was in the vicinity.

“We were unbelievable,” Coach Brian Wheatley said. “We picked the biggest game to play our best game of the year.”

Top-ranked North Linn hit 64 percent of its shots (71 percent in the first half) and outgunned No. 2 Newell-Fonda, 67-51, for the Class 1A girls’ basketball championship Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

“We’ve been waiting for this for four years,” Macy Boge said after earning all-tournament-captain honors. “I’m so proud, so happy.”

The Lynx (26-1) won their second title in program history. The other was a Class 2A crown in 2020.

They finished the season with 25 consecutive wins. Their lone loss was a 45-44 setback to Clear Creek Amana — the eventual 4A state champion — at Rivalry Saturday in November.

This was a game that resembled an intrasquad scrimmage between two teams that love to play fast.

North Linn just didn’t miss.

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“You’ve just got to tip your hat sometimes,” Newell-Fonda Coach Dick Jungers said. “We couldn’t turn the faucet off. If the other team hits 64 percent, either you have to force a lot of turnovers or win the rebounding effort.”

Instead, the Lynx coughed it up just nine times, an admirable number against a team like that. And they outrebounded the Mustangs (24-3) by a 20-17 margin.

Of course, there weren’t many rebounds to be had.

Down 7-3 early, the Lynx struck for 16 points in the final 4:15 of the first quarter, after which they led 19-11.

They were just getting warmed up.

North Linn hit 10 of 11 attempts — all of its last eight — in the second period and took a 40-23 lead into intermission.

“This was the moment we wanted to be in,” Molly Boge said. “It gave us so much confidence.”

Kamryn Kurt said, “I just had this feeling that we were going to shoot (well). Then we were able to finish around the basket.”

A run by the Mustangs seemed inevitable, and they did close within 45-34 midway through the third quarter.

But Macy Boge drilled a 3-pointer, Kurt scored on a drive and Allie Haughenbury sank two free throws to make it 52-34, and the Lynx were never seriously threatened.

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“To beat Newell-Fonda, you have to play a fundamentally sound game,” Wheatley said.

“We stuck to our fundamentals, and we executed our game plan,” said Kurt, who led all scorers with 23 points and dished out seven assists.

Kurt and both Boge sisters (Macy scored 17 points Saturday; Molly tallied eight) were on the all-tournament unit. So were Newell-Fonda’s Kierra Jungers (17 points Saturday) and McKenna Sievers (15), along with Avah Underwood of Council Bluffs St. Albert.

Neither Kurt nor Macy Boge — the two senior starters — will play basketball beyond the high-school level. Kurt will attend Iowa State, Boge UNI.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m done,” Kurt said. “It’s sad. I’m super thankful for all of our success.”

They’ll always recall a superb week in which they won their three games by 30, 23 and 16 points.

They weren’t perfect. But they were in the vicinity.

“It’s always been a loose group, a fun group,” said Wheatley, who bear-hugged daughter Meghan Wheatley when she came out in the final seconds. “They had a confidence about them.”

Newell-Fonda was the 1A runner-up for the eighth time to go with four championships.

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Photos: North Linn vs. Newell-Fonda in Class 1A girls’ basketball championship

North Linn 67, Newell-Fonda 51

Class 1A State Final, at Des Moines

NEWELL-FONDA (51): Greta Larsen 1-2 0-0 3, Isabel Bartek 0-4 0-0 0, McKenna Sievers 6-10 0-0 15, Kinzee Hinders 4-6 7-7 16, Kierra Jungers 7-13 2-3 17, Jaicee Vanderhoff 0-0 0-0 0, Camryn Puhrmann 0-1 0-0 0, Mareni Brabec 0-2 0-0 0, Anna Mercer 0-1 0-0 0, Rylee Hogrefe 0-0 0-0 0, Ava Vie 0-1 0-0 0, Jocee Walsh 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-41 9-10 51.

NORTH LINN (67): Allie Haughenbury 1-2 2-2 4, Mackenzie Bridgewater 2-2 0-0 4, Macy Boge 7-11 1-2 17, Molly Boge 3-8 0-0 8, Kamryn Kurt 9-13 5-6 23, Meghan Wheatley 1-1 0-0 3, Skylar Benesh 2-2 0-0 4, Ava Hoover 0-0 0-0 0, Carly Ries 0-1 0-0 0, Aubrey Wade 0-0 0-0 0, Emilee Beuter 2-2 0-0 4, Samantha West 0-0 0-0 0, Bryn Collum 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-42 8-10 67

Newell-Fonda 11 12 15 13 — 51

North Linn 19 21 16 11 — 67

3-point goals: Newell-Fonda 6-21 (Larsen 1-2, Bartek 0-2, Sievers 3-7, Hinders 1-1, Jungers 1-4, Puhrmann 0-1, Brabec 0-2, Vie 0-1, Walsh 0-1), North Linn 5-14 (Macy Boge 2-4, Molly Boge 2-5, Kurt 0-3, Wheatley 1-1, Ries 0-1). Team fouls: Newell-Fonda 12, North Linn 10. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Newell-Fonda 17 (Bartek 4), North Linn 20 (Haughenbury 4). Assists: Newell-Fonda 12 (Bartek, Sievers 5), North Linn 15 (Kurt 7). Steals: Newell-Fonda 7 (Sievers 3), North Linn 10 (Kurt 4). Turnovers: Newell-Fonda 13, North Linn 9.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com