Battle of No. 1-ranked girls’ basketball teams goes North Linn’s way

TROY MILLS — In this 1-vs.-1 showdown, North Linn was The One.

Outsized but by no means outscrapped, the Class 1A top-ranked Lynx toppled 3A No. 1 Mount Vernon, 60-48, in a non-conference girls’ basketball showdown Thursday night at North Linn High School.

“We knew we had to shoot well to beat them,” Kamryn Kurt said after the Lynx (16-1) drilled 13 of 26 shots from 3-point range. “They’re big inside ... and we’re not.

“This felt like a playoff game. It was fun to play a game like this against a 3A school that can beat anybody.”

North Linn won its 15th consecutive game — its only setback all season was a one-pointer against 4A No. 1 Clear Creek Amana way back in November — behind its backcourt trio of Kurt and the Boge sisters, Macy and Molly.

With their quick-handed steals and long-range marksmanship, that threesome triggered a three-minute 14-0 run to start the second quarter, and that spelled the difference.

Macy Boge had nine points in that surge, which transformed a 15-12 deficit into a 26-15 lead, and the Lynx maintained the upper hand the rest of the way.

“After we lost to them last year (50-46 at Mount Vernon), we were super pumped to play this one,” Macy said. “We came away with the win, and showed we can do big things.”

In Mount Vernon (15-2), the Lynx were facing a team with three 6-footers, including 6-foot-3 Louisville volleyball commit Chloe Meester.

The Mustangs, as expected, ruled the glass (the final margin was 33-19). But the Lynx snared 13 steals, forced 15 turnovers and committed only three themselves.

“Three? I didn’t realize that,” Lynx Coach Brian Wheatley said. “The worst thing you can do is turn it over before you shoot it.”

Mount Vernon got within 31-26 at halftime, then 34-31 on Meester’s 10-footer at the 4:25 mark of the third quarter, then 44-39 on a Courtney Franck free throw with 6:10 left in the game.

Each time, Kurt snuffed out the comeback bid with a 3-pointer.

Kurt (20 points, six rebounds, five assists) was 5-of-7 from long range. Molly Boge (18 points, five steals) hit 6 of 10 from deep. Macy Boge contributed 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

“They played great,” said Mustangs Coach Nate Sanderson, who served as an assistant under Wheatley for one season (2020-21) before taking the reins at Mount Vernon.

“We had that stretch in the second quarter, and if you hand them points, you’re going to lose. When they needed to make a play, they made them.”

Franck and Meester scored 12 points apiece for the Mustangs, with the latter grabbing 11 rebounds.

North Linn 60, Mount Vernon 48

At Troy Mills

MOUNT VERNON (48): Courtney Franck 4-6 3-4 12, Taylor Franck 2-6 0-0 4, Chloe Meester 5-7 2-3 12, Sydney Huber 2-9 2-2 8, Peyton Simpson 3-10 0-0 9, Brynley Rasmussen 0-0 0-0 0, Eryn Jackson 1-2 0-0 3, Josie Niehaus 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-41 7-9 48.

NORTH LINN (60): Allie Haughenbury 2-6 2-2 6, Mackenzie Bridgewater 0-2 0-0 0, Macy Boge 5-16 0-0 11, Molly Boge 6-10 0-0 18, Kamryn Kurt 6-10 3-4 20, Skylar Benesh 1-2 0-0 3, Emilee Beuter 1-1 0-0 2, Meghan Wheatley 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-48 5-6 60.

Mount Vernon 15 11 10 12 — 48

North Linn 12 19 13 16 — 60

3-point goals: Mount Vernon 7-19 (C. Franck 1-1, T. Franck 0-3, Huber 2-5, Simpson 3-8, Jackson 1-1, Niehaus 0-1), North Linn 13-26 (Bridgewater 0-1, Macy Boge 1-5, Molly Boge 6-10, Kurt 5-7, Benesh 1-2, Wheatley 0-1). Team fouls: Mount Vernon 8, North Linn 11. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Mount Vernon 33 (Meester 11), North Linn 19 (Kurt 6). Assists: Mount Vernon 9 (C. Franck, Meester 3), North Linn 17 (Macy Boge 7). Steals: Mount Vernon 3 (T. Franck 2), North Linn 13 (Molly Boge 5). Turnovers: Mount Vernon 15, North Linn 3.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com