Goodness, Grace-ious: North Linn snaps Springville's streak

TROY MILLS — Tuesday night, Grace Flanagan sprained her right ankle. Wednesday and Thursday, she was extremely limited at practice.

'She jogged on the side, and that was about it,' North Linn Coach Brian Wheatley said. 'But there was no way she was going to miss this game.'

Flanagan made her first five 3-point attempts and tallied 27 points, and Class 2A seventh-rated North Linn knocked off 1A No. 1 Springville, 50-33, in a Tri-Rivers Conference West Division girls' basketball showdown Friday night at North Linn High School.

'I walked on my heels a lot the last few days, trying to get my strength back, and we taped it up tight tonight,' said, a freshman, who finished 6 of 10 from long distance.

The Lynx (12-0 overall, 6-0 TRC West) snapped the Orioles' 25-game winning streak and seized sole possession of the divisional lead. The rematch is Feb. 3 at Springville.

'We got more out of this than we'd have gotten by beating somebody by 40 or 50 points,' Springville Coach Nate Sanderson said. 'We're certainly not a flawless team.'

Flanagan's first long-range shot came 45 seconds into the game, and she followed with another a half-minute later for a 6-2 North Linn advantage.

Springville (9-1, 5-1) scored the next six points for an 8-6 advantage, then the Lynx answered with an 8-1 run for a 14-9 lead after a quarter, and held the advantage the rest of the way.

Each of Flanagan's first four treys came on perimeter feeds from twin Abby Flanagan.

'If she's hot, I'm looking for her, and if I'm hot, she's looking for me,' Grace Flanagan said.

Flanagan's shooting was part of the story. The Lynx's defense was another. Springville first-team all-staters Mikayla Nachazel and Rylee Menster entered the game averaging 41.2 points per game between them. Friday, they were held to 22 on a combined 9-of-33 shooting.

'Our 1-3-1 (zone) has become a staple here,' Wheatley said. 'Instead of changing our defense, we've tried to make adjustments within it, and the kids have done a great job with that.'

Both teams are back at it Saturday. North Linn hosts Monticello; Springville faces Turkey Valley at Rivalry Saturday in a rematch of last year's 1A state final.

'Tonight and tomorrow, they're not a regional final or a state final,' Sanderson said. 'They're our 10th and 11th games, and an opportunity to get better.'

NORTH LINN 50, SPRINGVILLE 33

At Troy Mills

SPRINGVILLE (33): Nichole Kane 3-7 0-0 6, Rylee Menster 3-14 0-0 7, Madi Wagaman 1-4 0-0 2, Alyssa Jaeger 0-3 3-3 2, Mikayla Nachazel 6-19 3-6 15, Sami Johnson 0-2 1-2 1, Melissa Nulle 0-0 0-0 0, Katelyn Gloeckner 0-0 0-0 0, Rylee Chapman 0-0 0-0 0, Courtney Boland 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 13-50 6-10 33.

NORTH LINN (50): Grace Flanagan 7-12 7-8 27, Abby Flanagan 2-6 0-0 5, Anna LeGrand 2-7 0-0 6, Ashley Tull 1-6 3-4 5, Emma Ware 1-3 0-0 2, Kylie Kurt 2-4 0-0 5, Sydney Burke 0-1 0-2 0, Mallory Holub 0-0 0-0 0, Hannah Bridgewater 0-0 0-0 0, Natalie Gallery 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-39 10-14 50.

Halftime: North Linn 24, Springville 17. 3-point goals: Springville 1-10 (Kane 0-2, Menster 1-7, Jaeger 0-1), North Linn 10-21 (G.Flanagan 6-10, A.Flanagan 1-3, LeGrand 2-6, Kurt 1-2). Team fouls: Springville 15, North Linn 8. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Springville 29 (Jaeger 9), North Linn 37 (Tull 13). Assists: Springville 8 (Nachazel 3), North Linn 14 (A.Flanagan 4). Steals: Springville 10 (Menster 7), North Linn 6 (G.Flanagan 2). Turnovers: Springville 10, North Linn 14.

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