Springville avenges one loss ...

DES MOINES — They met at Rivalry Saturday. They'll do it again on Championship Friday.

Third-ranked Springville overcame 27 turnovers and some significant foul concerns and sidestepped No. 7 Newell-Fonda, 59-52, in a Class 1A semifinal at the girls' state basketball tournament Thursday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

'We just got a little crazy, a little freaked out,' Megan Wagaman said about the Orioles' not-so-stellar ball-handling. 'Coach (Nate Sanderson) told us to stay calm.'

Down by seven points late in the first quarter, Springville (25-1) took the lead with a 12-2 run to start the second quarter, then built a 12-point advantage early in the third. But they weren't home free until they sealed it at the line in the final minute.

The Orioles shot 39 free throws, making 27.

'There were just so many fouls,' Newell-Fonda Coach Dick Jungers said. 'We just watched them shoot free throws all day.'

Alyssa Jaeger hit all eight of her foul shots. Even Mikayla Nachazel, a 31-percent free-throw shooter this season, was effective; she was 7 of 9.

'I don't know how that happened,' Nachazel said, laughing.

Springville avenged a 45-43 defeat to the Mustangs in last year's 1A final. It returns to the final for a 6 p.m. date with top-ranked Turkey Valley (26-0), which earned a 49-42 verdict over the Orioles on Jan. 9 at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'They'll play the same style we saw tonight, a full-court game,' Springville Coach Nate Sanderson said. 'It's nice to see a similar style in back-to-back games. '

The semifinal was an odd, disjointed game. The Orioles didn't resemble their usual selves early, coughing up the ball 10 times in the first quarter, compared to one for Newell-Fonda (19-7). Because of the turnovers, and Newell-Fonda's late fouls, Springville took only 26 shots from the floor, making 16. Newell-Fonda was 19 of 54.

Springville also dealt with foul issues. Rylee Menster was called for two early personals, and others joined her before the end of the first half.

That opened the door for players like Madi Wagaman, who scored 13 points, and for Nichole Kane.

'People were getting in foul trouble, so I had to step up and play smart,' Wagaman said.

A freshman who toiled on the junior-varsity team most of the season, Kane played 24 fruitful minutes Thursday, scoring six points.

Nachazel led the Orioles with 15 points. Jaeger tallied 12. Megan Wagaman registered seven points and 11 rebounds.

Erin Gerke paced Newell-Fonda with 21 points.

SPRINGVILLE 59, NEWELL-FONDA 52 (Class 1A State Semifinal)

At Des Moines

NEWELL-FONDA (52): Jordan Wilken 1-6 2-3 4, Erin Gerke 6-15 6-8 21, Abby Smith 5-6 0-0 10, Maddi Morenz 6-15 0-0 13, Mallory Sievers 1-1 0-0 2, Sydney Kay 0-2 0-1 0, Emma Stewart 0-2 0-0 0, Kate Christiansen 0-1 0-0 0, Olivia Larsen 0-6 0-1 0, Emily Archer 0-0 2-4 2. Totals 19-54 10-17 52.

SPRINGVILLE (59): Megan Wagaman 0-1 7-12 7, Rylee Menster 3-5 0-0 6, Alyssa Jaeger 2-4 8-8 12, Madi Wagaman 4-6 5-6 13, Mikayla Nachazel 4-6 7-9 15, Sydney Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Chrissy Hoogland 0-0 0-2 0, Nichole Kane 3-4 0-2 6. Totals 16-26 27-39 59.

Halftime: Springville 29, Newell-Fonda 25. 3-point goals: Newell-Fonda 4-19 (Wilken 0-1, Gerke 3-6, Morenz 1-5, Kay 0-2, Stewart 0-2, Larsen 0-3), Springville 0-2 (Menster 0-2). Team fouls: Newell-Fonda 29, Springville 22. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Newell-Fonda 24 (Wilken 6), Springville 32 (Megan Wagaman 11). Assists: Newell-Fonda 15 (Gerke 4), Springville 8 (Megan Wagaman, Madi Wagaman 3). Steals: Newell-Fonda 11 (Gerke, Morenz 3), Springville 7 (Menster, Kane 2). Turnovers: Newell-Fonda 15, Springville 27.

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