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Mount Vernon edges ELC, reaches the Class 3A title game
Mustangs hold the Midgets to 29-percent shooting in a 35-34 semifinal victory
Mar. 6, 2025 4:01 pm, Updated: Mar. 6, 2025 4:24 pm
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DES MOINES — Get to this point, and nothing is given.
Nothing is easy.
“It wasn’t the prettiest win, was it?” Courtney Franck said.
Sure wasn’t. But it beats the alternative; the Mustangs were on the other end of it last year.
Top-ranked Mount Vernon avenged last year’s Class 3A state-semifinal loss — same level, same opponent — and edged No. 6 Estherville-Lincoln Central, 35-34, Thursday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
“Revenge tour! Let’s go!!” Taylor Franck proclaimed. “We’re so deserving.”
The Mustangs (25-1) overcame some offensive shortcomings of their own, holding ELC (21-4) to 29-percent shooting and 16 turnovers.
As a result, they won their 24th consecutive game and advanced to Friday’s 3A title game against No. 2 Dubuque Wahlert (21-4).
Tipoff is 8 p.m.
“It’s a great opportunity. Not many people get it,” said Chloe Meester, who led the Mustangs to the 3A volleyball championship in November.
The Mustangs earned it because they did a reasonably good job limiting ELC star Haylee Stokes. The Minnesota State commit scored 15 points with four assists and four steals, but shot 5-of-22 from the floor, including 1-of-10 from long distance.
“We knew we had to give her a hard time,” Meester said.
“We always had somebody on her,” Courtney Franck said. “When you have 6-foot-whatever (Meester), it creates difficult shots in the lane.”
ELC Coach Don Martindale said, “You have to give Mount Vernon a lot of credit. They made us work for everything. I think we made them work for everything.”
Mount Vernon trailed most of the first half, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Sydney Huber and Courtney Franck sent them to the locker room in front, 17-14.
The Mustangs led by as many as seven points on three occasions in the fourth quarter, including 35-28 with 0:18 left.
ELC’s Hillary Ruschy hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds to go, then added another one at the horn when the Mustangs didn’t defend the Midgets’ final possession.
Huber led the Mustangs with 11 points. The Franck twins combined for 15, and Meester provided six points and 14 rebounds.
Mount Vernon 35, Estherville-Lincoln Central 34
Class 3A State Semifinal, at Des Moines
ESTHERVILLE-LINCOLN CENTRAL (34): Cara Schiltz 0-2 0-0 0, Rylee Yager 3-10 1-2 8, Haylee Stokes 5-22 4-6 15, Julissa Smith Hillary Ruschy 3-7 0-0 9. Totals 12-42 5-8 34.
MOUNT VERNON (35): Savanna Wright 1-6 1-2 3, Taylor Franck 3-10 1-2 7, Chloe Meester 2-5 2-2 6, Courtney Franck 3-7 1-4 8, Sydney Huber 4-14 0-0 11, Eryn Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Rylee Rasmussen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-42 5-10 35.
Estherville-Lincoln Central 11 3 7 13 — 34
Mount Vernon 7 10 10 8 — 35
3-point goals: ELC 5-20 (Schiltz 0-2, Yager 1-3, Stokes 1-10, Ruschy 3-5), Mount Vernon 4-20 (Wright 0-5, T. Franck 0-3, C. Franck 1-2, Huber 3-10). Team fouls: ELC 13, Mount Vernon 6. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: ELC 30 (Yager 11), Mount Vernon 31 (Meester 14). Assists: ELC 8 (Stokes 4), Mount Vernon 7 (C. Franck 3). Steals: ELC 6 (Stokes 4), Mount Vernon 6 (T. Franck 3). Turnovers: ELC 16, Mount Vernon 15.
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
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