North Linn pulls away from Cascade, 46-34

TROY MILLS — After a series of blowouts, North Linn needed a serious test.

'We hadn't faced much adversity yet,' Lynx Coach Brian Wheatley said. 'Something I'd been looking forward to ... how would this group handle a close game?'

Quite well, as a matter of fact.

The Class 2A seventh-ranked Lynx started fast, slowed to a crawl, then finished strong in a 46-34 non-conference girls' basketball victory over No. 12 Cascade Monday night at North Linn High School.

'It was good to get some tough competition,' junior post Ashley Tull said. 'We were looking forward to this.'

The Lynx (9-0) raced to an 11-0 lead, then had an answer once Cascade (7-1) took a brief 20-19 edge in the third quarter.

Abby Flanagan's 3-pointer put the Lynx ahead for good, then they put the game away with a 10-point run midway through the fourth period.

Seven of North Linn's first eight games had been decided by 28 points or more, so this came at a good time.

'(Cascade Coach Mike) Sconsa does a great job teaching the 2-3 zone, so we knew nothing was going to come easy,' Wheatley said. 'For two quarters (in the middle of the game), we couldn't get anything going.'

Flanagan, half of a set of extremely promising freshman twins, led all scorers with 17 points, including four 3-pointers. The other half, Grace, was burdened with foul trouble, but ignited the runaway surge at the end with a drive for a basket, then a steal and two free throws for a 34-27 lead.

Tull added 11 points and nine rebounds for the winners.

'We were playing a team that can play with anybody,' Sconsa said. 'To spot them an 11-0 lead is not good. We didn't play well enough to beat those guys.'

Abbie Ruggeberg paced Cascade with 15 points, but nobody else had more than five.

The Cougars didn't post a field goal for the first 7 1/2 minutes, but got within 18-11 by halftime, then Ruggeberg's baseline shot put Cascade in front, 20-19, with 2:57 left in the third quarter.

It stayed that way for more than two minutes, until Abby Flanagan's trey gave the Lynx the lead for keeps.

North Linn is at Clinton Prince of Peace on Tuesday; Cascade hosts Anamosa.

NORTH LINN 46, CASCADE 34

At Troy Mills

CASCADE (34): Nicole McDermott 1-3 0-0 2, Anna Hunt 1-3 0-0 3, Lisa Tucker 2-11 1-2 5, Riley Takes 1-1 0-1 2, Abbie Ruggeberg 6-10 3-4 15, Anne Ryan 2-9 0-0 4, Rose Strang 0-0 0-0 0, Laura Kremer 1-2 0-0 3, Rachel Trumm 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-39 4-7 34.

NORTH LINN (46): Grace Flanagan 1-7 2-2 4, Abby Flanagan 5-12 3-4 17, Anna LeGrand 1-7 4-6 6, Ashley Tull 3-10 5-8 11, Emma Ware 1-3 1-2 3, Kylie Kurt 1-3 2-2 5, Sydney Burke 0-0 0-0 0, Hannah Bridgewater 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-42 17-24 46.

Halftime: North Linn 18, Cascade 11. 3-point goals: Cascade 2-12 (McDermott 0-1, Hunt 1-3, Tucker 0-1, Ryan 0-5, Kremer 1-2), North Linn 5-18 (G.Flanagan 0-5, A.Flanagan 4-9, LeGrand 0-1, Kurt 1-3). Team fouls: Cascade 20, North Linn 14. Fouled out: Tucker. Rebounds: Cascade 27 (Tucker 8), North Linn 31 (Tull 9). Assists: Cascade 6 (Takes 2), North Linn 2 (G.Flanagan 2). Steals: Cascade 11 (Tucker, Ruggeberg, Ryan 3), North Linn 11 (G.Flanagan, A.Flanagan, Tull 3). Turnovers: Cascade 19, North Linn 16.

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