North Linn smothers Alburnett, 51-21

TROY MILLS — Morgan Boer was in early foul trouble. Ashley Tull was colder than cold.

And Brian Wheatley was getting nervous.

'It felt like we were in a little bit of trouble,' Wheatley said. 'Then Morgan turned to me and said, 'You can trust me. Put me back in.''

Boer returned, Tull eventually thawed out and North Linn's defense blanketed Alburnett throughout in a 51-21 Class 2A girls' basketball regional-semifinal triumph Friday night at North Linn High School.

The Lynx (20-3) hit the 20-win plateau for the sixth consecutive year — they're the only active member of that 20-by-6 club — and advanced to Monday's regional final opposite No. 2 Iowa City Regina. The Regals (23-0) rallied past Sumner-Fredericksburg, 49-34, Friday.

Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Cedar Rapids Washington. The winner advances to the state tournament Feb. 29-March 5 at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines.

If you were counting on North Linn — last year's 2A state runner-up — to slide after the graduation of all-staters Nicole Miller and Maddie Boer, consider yourself severely disappointed. The Lynx are big, and Friday, they were a defensive beast.

'We had a lot of doubters out there,' Morgan Boer said. 'We were ready to prove them wrong.'

Alburnett (12-11) shot 21 percent from the floor, committed 22 turnovers and went nearly 14 1/2 minutes without a point.

That enabled North Linn to turn an early 8-4 deficit (3:32 left in the first quarter) into a comfortable 21-8 advantage before the Pirates broke through at the 5:06 mark of the third quarter.

Boer picked up her second foul early in the game, sat for a bit, then returned.

'(Wheatley) said he'd rather have me in the game with two fouls than on the bench,' she said. 'I knew I could play defense without fouling.'

Boer's partner in the paint, Tull had her own issues early, missing her first nine shots.

'(Assistant coach Bob) Mudd told me to get my head in the game, or he we was going to bench me,' Tull said. 'I think I was just a little nervous.'

Boer finished with 17 points, making all seven of her field-goal tries, and Tull converted six of her last eight attempts in a 16-point, nine-rebound outing. Anna LeGrand tallied eight points, and Katie Kurt displayed a strong floor game with five boards, four assists and four steals.

And the Lynx's 1-3-1 zone defense slowed the Pirates at every turn. Alburnett star Taylor Huber managed just four points.

'We played the same defense the whole game, but the kids are getting better at adjusting small things in the defense without changing the whole scheme,' Wheatley said.

Vanessa Hoyle and Maddy Schuchmann scored five points apiece for the Pirates.

NORTH LINN 51, ALBURNETT 21

At Troy Mills

ALBURNETT (21): Maddie Volesky 1-6 0-0 3, Amber Porter 1-1 0-0 2, Kassidy Rose 0-3 0-0 0, Vanessa Hoyle 1-5 3-4 5, Taylor Huber 2-9 0-0 4, Maddy Schuchmann 2-8 1-5 5, Madison Osborn 1-4 0-0 2, Lexi Washburn 0-1 0-1 0, Kylie Volesky 0-0 0-0 0, Remington Comried 0-1 0-0 0, Kayla Hospdarsky 0-0 0-0 0, Jenna Neighbor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 8-38 4-10 21.

NORTH LINN (51): Katie Kurt 1-5 0-0 3, Morgan Boer 7-7 2-2 17, Anna LeGrand 2-8 3-5 8, Ashley Tull 6-17 4-4 16, Jackie Falconer 0-0 0-1 0, Rachel Supple 1-1 0-0 2, Kylie Kurt 1-2 0-0 3, Jenna Gallery 0-0 0-0 0, Becca Aberle 0-0 0-0 0, Mallory Holub 0-1 0-0 0, Emma Ware 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 19-42 9-12 51.

Halftime: North Linn 17, Alburnett 8. 3-point goals: Alburnett 1-14 (M.Volesky 1-4, Rose 0-2, Hoyle 0-1, Huber 0-1, Schuchmann 0-2, Osborn 0-3, Comried 0-1), North Linn 4-12 (Ka.Kurt 1-4, Boer 1-1, LeGrand 1-6, Ky.Kurt 1-1). Team fouls: Alburnett 15, North Linn 15. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Alburnett 25 (Huber 6), North Linn 34 (Tull 9). Assists: Alburnett 2 (Hoyle, Huber), North Linn 11 (Ka.Kurt 4). Steals: Alburnett 7 (seven with 1), North Linn 14 (Ka.Kurt 4). Turnovers: Alburnett 22, North Linn 18.

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