North Linn beats Winfield-Mount Union, reaches unprecedented 7th boys’ state basketball championship game in a row

DES MOINES — There’s one less day of the boys’ state basketball tournament now. It’s Championship Friday instead of Championship Saturday.

But Saturday, Friday, whenever, North Linn always is a part of it.

The top-ranked Lynx beat No. 5 Winfield-Mount Union, 67-51, Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Arena to extend their unprecedented streak of title-game appearances to seven.

Eight was great for North Linn, as far as consecutive years qualifying for state and winning a first-round game. Now seven is heaven.

An incredible seventh heaven.

“It’s crazy to me,” said North Linn’s Mason Bechen. “There was someone who said this was a one-in-a-trillion chance or something. Just to think about that, it’s just incredible to be here in this spot seven years in a row. A lot of people don’t even have the chance to even come down here and play on this court. So I’m really fortunate to be here three years in a row and our school seven years in a row.”

Bechen was unstoppable offensively most of this game. He hit a couple of 3-pointers, got out in transition repeatedly, and viciously and continuously drove the lane, scoring 32 points.

That total took the junior guard over 1,000 points for his three-year career.

“Mason is doing a super job of knowing when you get rid of the ball and when to attack,” said North Linn Coach Mike Hilmer. “Really got a knack for it. Early in the season he got bottled up quite a bit trying to do too much. Now he’s got it down pat. He’s hitting the open guy when he’s open, he’s driving when the lane it’s there. He really took over the game.”

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Ty Pflughaupt has been North Linn’s other primary scorer this season and he added 18 points in this game despite incurring some foul trouble. When he had to sit, Drew Ries did a great job filling in for him, scoring seven points and pulling down six rebounds in just 12 minutes.

Keep in mind, Ries is 5-foot-10. Winfield-Mount Union’s lineup consisted of a 6-6 guy and two 6-4 dudes.

“I knew Coach would need me to come off the bench being he was in foul trouble,” Ries said. “I knew I had to match their physicality if we were going to win this game. Obviously they were a lot bigger than we are, so you had to put a body on them every time and go get the ball.”

Winfield-Mount Union (21-3) led through the first quarter and into the second before North Linn (25-1) started hitting shots, which allowed it to get into its full-court pressure defense. A Bechen 3-pointer right at the buzzer gave the Lynx a 25-20 halftime lead.

The advantage steadily climbed in the second half, to 46-38 after three quarters when Breckyn Betenbender hit a late lane drive. It was primarily the Bechen-Pflughaupt show in the fourth quarter as North Linn officially put this one to bed.

“It’s amazing being a leader on this team, a senior and being in the championship game again,” Pflughaupt said.

The title game opponent this year in a familiar one in Bellevue Marquette, which beat Lake Mills on a last-second shot in the other 1A semifinal. North Linn won very late in the regular season at Bellevue, 69-60, which is the Defenders lone loss.

Tipoff at The Well is 1 p.m.

“Really, really proud of this group,” said Hilmer. “Every group is different. It seems like every year they say ‘Well, this group’s not going to do it.’ Yet they always seem to find a way to do it ... (Assistant) Coach (Travis) Griffith and I talk about it all the time. First, it’s crazy that we’re in the final seven years in a row. It’s crazier knowing the two goons who are coaching them.”

Guard Jake Edwards hit five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points for W-MU. He’s the son of head coach Klay Edwards, the former Wolves all-stater and Iowa State starter.

Cam Buffington, the University of Iowa football recruit, added 12 points for W-MU.

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Photos: North Linn vs. Winfield-Mt. Union in Class 1A boys’ state basketball semifinals

North Linn 67, Winfield-Mount Union 51

AT WELLS FARGO ARENA

WINFIELD-MOUNT UNION (51): Carter Loyd 4-8 0-0 9, Jake Edwards 6-11 0-0 17, Gabriel Hemsworth 1-4 0-0 3, Abram Edwards 4-11 1-3 9, Cam Buffington 5-15 2-3 12, Max Edwards 0-0 0-0 0, Cole Milks 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 20-49 4-8 51.

NORTH LINN (67): Jake Van Etten 3-5 0-2 6, Ty Pflughaupt 7-13 1-2 18, Breckyn Betenbender 2-9 0-0 4, Cole Griffith 0-3 0-0 0, Mason Bechen 12-20 6-8 32, Cael Benesh 0-0 0-0 0, Hayden Schmidt 0-0 0-0 0, Drew Ries 3-6 0-0 7. Totals 27-56 7-12 67.

Halftime - North Linn 28, Winfield-Mount Union 23. 3-point goals - Winfield-Mount Union 7-19 (Loyd 1-3, J. Edwards 5-10, Hemsworth 1-3, Buffington 0-3), North Linn 6-20 (Griffith 0-2, Betenbender 0-5, Bechen 2-4, Pflughaupt 3-8, Ries 1-1). Rebounds - Winfield-Mount Union 33 (J. Edwards, A. Edwards, Buffington 7), North Linn 31 (Bechen 7). Total fouls - Winfield-Mount Union 13, North Linn 11. Fouled out - None. Assists - Winfield-Mount Union 13 (Buffington 4), North Linn 11 (Griffith 5). Turnovers - Winfield-Mount Union 14, North Linn 5.

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