Same old Newell-Fonda: Relentless Mustangs sideline Springville, 60-32

DES MOINES — The names and the faces change, but Newell-Fonda’s persona does not.

The Mustangs remain one relentless outfit.

“We want to make the other team go faster than they want,” Kinzee Hinders said.

Third-ranked Newell-Fonda collected 27 steals, forced No. 7 Springville into 36 turnovers and raced away from the Orioles late, 60-32, in a Class 1A quarterfinal at the girls’ state basketball tournament Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

“It’s something different than anything we’ve seen this year,” Springville’s Rowan Jacobi said. “They’re quick. They’re aggressive. It’s something that every team is going to struggle with.”

Newell-Fonda (21-4), which ranks third among all schools in state-tournament victories (33), advances to face No. 2 North Linn (24-1) in a 1A semifinal at 3:15 Friday afternoon.

It’s a rematch of last year’s 1A final, won by North Linn, 67-51.

“It will be a good one,” Hinders said. “We’re excited to match up with them again.”

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The final score won’t indicate it, but Springville (20-5) worked its way into contention late in the third quarter.

Down 25-9 late in the first half and 25-13 at intermission, the Orioles were 30-23 on Addison Merritt’s basket with 2:20 left in the third.

“We tried to settle in and get back to playing Springville basketball,” Merritt said.

“We knew we couldn’t get it all back at once,” Orioles Coach Christina Zaruba said. “We were chipping away. But then they hit a couple of 3s.”

Hinders hit a tough shot from the lane, Sievers nailed a 3-pointer, and it was 35-23 at the end of the third. Then Newell-Fonda ruled the final period by a 25-9 margin.

A freshman, Sievers came off the bench to lead Newell-Fonda with 18 points. Hinders added 15 points and six steals.

Jacobi, a junior who is committed to the University of South Dakota, paced Springville with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Merritt scored eight points.

Those two form the nucleus of the Orioles’ hope for a return trip in 2026.

“We’ve set the bar high. We all have big dreams,” Jacobi said.

Newell-Fonda 60, Springville 32

Class 1A State Quarterfinal, at Des Moines

SPRINGVILLE (32): Renee Brecht 2-3 0-0 4, Addison Merritt 1-12 6-6 8, Lexi Dietiker 1-4 0-0 2, Abbi Hoyt 0-6 1-2 1, Rowan Jacobi 6-12 3-8 15, Hayden Robertson 0-0 0-0 0, Madison Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Ella Hoge 1-1 0-1 2, Kalleigh Greene 0-0 0-0 0, Reese Tritle 0-0 0-0 0, Abilgail Schwiebert 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-38 10-17 32.

NEWELL-FONDA (60): Jaicee Vanderhoff 1-5 0-0 3, Mareni Brabec 1-2 0-0 2, Anna Mercer 0-3 0-0 0, Kinzee Hinders 4-7 7-8 15, Jocee Walsh 4-9 1-2 9, Ellie Sievers 7-13 2-4 18, Camryn Puhrmann 0-0 0-0 0, Danika Meyer 0-0 0-0 0, Bailey Mandernach 0-2 0-0 0, Rylee Hogrefe 1-4 3-4 6, Vienna Wingert 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Leu 1-1 0-0 2, Ava Vie 1-2 0-0 3, McKayla Hanson 0-0 0-0 0, Ella Roberts 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 20-48 15-20 60.

Springville 5 8 10 9 — 32

Newell-Fonda 14 11 10 25 — 60

3-point goals: Springville 0-9 (Merritt 0-5, Dietiker 0-2, Jacobi 0-2), Newell-Fonda 5-18 (Vanderhoff 1-5, Mercer 0-1, Hinders 0-1, Sievers 2-5, Mandernach 0-1, Hogrefe 1-3, Vie 1-2). Team fouls: Springville 14, Newell-Fonda 15. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Springville 32 (Jacobi 13), Newell-Fonda 29 (Walsh 9). Assists: Springville 2 (Brecht, Hoyt), Newell-Fonda 9 (Walsh 3). Steals: Springville 12 (Jacobi 4), Newell-Fonda 27 (Hinders 6). Turnovers: Springville 36, Newell-Fonda 21.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com