This time, West Branch is sticking around at the girls’ state basketball tournament

DES MOINES - Make history, or become history?

Thanks to a big first-half surge, the West Branch Bears selected the former.

Third-ranked West Branch delivered an early dagger, a 15-0 job that turned the game on its ear, and handled No. 8 Grundy Center, 49-33, in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the girls' state basketball tournament Wednesday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

It was the Bears' first victory in four state trips.

'Awesome. I'm just very proud right now,” senior guard Sasha Koenig said. 'Last year when we came here, we were thrilled. Now, we're a team that feels we belong here.”

The Bears (21-1) certainly fit right in with the other three remaining survivors. They'll face No. 2 Dike-New Hartford (24-0) in a 2A semifinal at noon Friday. DNH defeated No. 10 Treynor, 44-36, Wednesday.

'West Branch has a winning tradition in multiple sports, and we want to put girls' basketball in there too,” Bears Coach Jarod Tylee said.

A Bradley University signee, Koenig posted 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Delaynie Luneckas added 13 points and 12 rebounds, and was at her best during the Bears' decisive surge.

Luneckas scored eight points in the second quarter.

'With preparation comes confidence, and we did it,” Luneckas said. 'We play for ourselves, our families, our school.”

And they'll play one more game. Maybe two. Four seniors are in the starting lineup, so this was the Bears' best shot for an extended stay.

'Making history, that was our goal,” said Taya Young, who added seven points, as did Rylan Druecker.

The Bears were a little slow out of the gate, but jolted the Spartans with that 15-point run in a stretch of eight-plus minutes that began midway through the first quarter, and led 25-11 at halftime.

Defense was a constant. The Bears collected 11 steals and held the Spartans (19-4) to 29-percent shooting (13 of 45).

'We really hang our hats on defense,” Koenig said. '(Grundy Center has) two solid posts, but we were everywhere.”

Tylee said, 'We really wanted to limit their posts and keep the ball out of (Paiton Wallis') hands. And we did those things.”

West Branch took its largest lead, 47-25, on Koenig's step-through penetration with about four minutes left.

Bailey Reding paced Grundy Center with 16 points, stepping out and hitting four 3-pointers.

WEST BRANCH 49, GRUNDY CENTER 33

Class 2A State Quarterfinal, at Des Moines

GRUNDY CENTER (33): Paiton Wallis 2-10 0-0 6, Lainy Thoren 2-9 1-4 5, Emma Beck 1-4 0-0 2, Dahlia Gardiner 1-3 0-0 2, Bailey Reding 6-14 0-0 16, Jacque Kuester 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Stahl 0-1 0-0 0, Bella Dole 0-1 0-0 0, Ellery Luhring 0-0 0-0 0, Laney Dole 0-0 0-0 0, Lyndi Bowen 0-0 0-0 0, Jessica Saak 0-0 0-0 0, Lucy Lebo 0-1 0-0 0, Carlie Willis 1-1 0-0 2, Allison Beenken 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 13-45 1-4 33.

WEST BRANCH (49): Lexie Peak 2-3 0-0 6, Sasha Koenig 6-17 0-0 16, Delaynie Luneckas 6-12 1-2 13, Rylan Druecker 3-6 0-0 7, Taya Young 3-9 1-1 7, Sadie Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Madison Hovancik 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Westcott 0-0 0-0 0, Alysa Klinkkammer 0-0 0-0 0, Savannah Sexton 0-0 0-0 0, Allie Laschansky 0-0 0-0 0, Bailey Donohoe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-48 2-3 49.

Halftime: West Branch 25, Grundy Center 11. 3-pointers: Grundy Center 6-21 (Wallis 2-8, Thoren 0-2, Beck 0-2, Reding 4-7, B. Dole 0-1, Lebo 0-1), West Branch 7-15 (Peak 2-3, Koenig 4-9, Druecker 1-2, Young 0-1). Team fouls: Grundy Center 4, West Branch 5. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Grundy Center 27 (Thoren 8), West Branch 35 (Luneckas 12). Assists: Grundy Center 9 (Wallis 3), West Branch 13 (Koenig 6). Steals: Grundy Center 9 (Wallis 3), West Branch 11 (Young 3). Turnovers: Grundy Center 14, West Branch 12.

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