‘It’s our county:’ Benton completes hat trick over Vinton-Shellsburg in 3A girls’ state basketball semifinal, 51-42

DES MOINES — With victory imminent, the Benton Community student section fashioned a chant:

“IT’S our COUN-ty.”

Win one more, and it’s their state, too.

Whistled for her fourth foul late in the third quarter, Jenna Twedt never picked up her fifth. Instead, she scored Benton Community’s final 10 points, and the fourth-ranked Bobcats pulled away late from No. 10 Vinton-Shellsburg, 51-42, in a Class 3A semifinal at the girls’ state basketball tournament Thursday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

“This has been our goal all along,” Benton’s McKenna Kramer said. “We wanted to play for a state championship, and now, we’ve got that chance.”

The Bobcats (23-3) get that opportunity at 8 p.m. Friday, against No. 6 Sioux Center (20-5), a 46-44 victor over No. 2 Solon.

That’s the reward for completing a season hat trick against their county rivals. Like the two regular-season games (one of which went to double-overtime), this was a fierce battle.

“We knew it was going to be an absolute dogfight,” Benton Coach Jeff Zittergruen said. “We had some girls that really stepped up.”

And they had the best player on the floor at the end, which certainty seemed iffy a little while earlier.

Twedt was called for her fourth foul on the final play of the third quarter. She sat through the quarter break, and not much longer.

“She has to be on the floor for us,” Zittergruen said. “She has played with four (fouls) before.”

Twedt said, “When they called me to go back in, I just knew I had to be smart. I had to play with composure.”

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Girls’ state basketball photos: Vinton-Shellsburg vs. Benton Community in 3A semifinals

Benton’s lead varied between one and two possessions throughout most of the fourth quarter. Alyssa Griffith’s basket with 1:52 remaining brought the Vikettes (18-8) within 45-42.

But Twedt, who finished with 18 points, did her final damage at the free-throw line, making 6 of 8 as the Bobcats broke free.

Before this week, Benton had never advanced past the first round. Friday, they’ll play for a title.

“It’s a dream come true,” Emma Townsley said. “We have been dreaming about this since fourth grade.”

Benton’s glee was Vinton-Shellsburg’s heartbreak. The Vikettes’ roster was full of seniors who played their final game together.

Words were hard to come by. And not just for the players.

“The worst part is, there won’t be another game with most of these kids,” Vikettes Coach Rich Haisman said.

Vinton-Shellsburg landed the first blow, building an early seven-point lead. But the Bobcats got all square at 14-14 by the end of the quarter, then the teams traded small leads until late in the third period.

Aubrey Kelly’s 3-pointer put the Bobcats in front for good, 32-31, then added a putback on the next possession.

Zoey Junge’s triple made it 37-33, then she scored again on a strong drive to the hoop to make it 39-35.

Call Kelly and Junge “role players” if you like. Their roles were major Thursday.

“Some of their ‘off’ players hit some big shots for them,” said Vinton-Shellsburg’s Alyssa Griffith.

Griffith led the Vikettes with 12 points. Ashlie Meyer added 10.

Vinton-Shellsburg was making its first state trip since 1999. The Vikettes had the signature moment of the tournament, knocking off No. 1 Estherville-Lincoln Central in the first round.

"Everybody knows where Vinton-Shellsburg is now,“ Abby Davis said.

But as their student section proclaimed, it’s the Bobcats’ county.

Their state? Tune in Friday.

Benton Community 51, Vinton-Shellsburg 42

Class 3A State Semifinal, at Des Moines

VINTON-SHELLSBURG (42): Abby Davis 3-11 0-0 7, Sophia Kreutner 0-6 0-0 0, Ashlie Meyer 4-7 2-3 10, Alyssa Griffith 4-8 4-4 12, Brylee Bruce 2-3 2-2 6, Julie Johnson 3-6 0-0 7, Kalie Burke 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 16-43 8-9 42.

BENTON COMMUNITY (51): Emma Townsley 3-8 0-2 8, Piper Nelson 1-4 3-4 5, McKenna Kramer 3-6 0-0 8, Jenna Twedt 6-21 6-8 18, Zoey Junge 2-6 2-2 7, Addison Phillips 0-0 0-0 0, Aubrey Kelly 2-4 0-0 5. Totals 17-49 11-16 51.

Vinton-Shellsburg 14 10 9 9 — 42

Benton Community 14 10 10 17 — 51

3-point goals: Vinton-Shellsburg 2-11 (Davis 1-2, Kreutner 0-2, Meyer 0-1, Griffith 0-3, Johnson 1-2, Burke 0-1), Benton 6-18 (Townsley 2-3, Nelson 0-1, Kramer 2-3, Twedt 0-5, Junge 1-4, Kelly 1-2). Team fouls: Vinton-Shellsburg 14, Benton 13. Fouled out: Bruce. Rebounds: Vinton-Shellsburg 33 (Bruce 10), Benton 31 (Kelly 6). Assists: Vinton-Shellsburg 5 (Kreutner, Griffith 2), Benton 7 (Twedt 4). Steals: Vinton-Shellsburg 5 (Davis 2), Benton 7 (Twedt 4). Turnovers: Vinton-Shellsburg 13, Benton 8.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com