Wagaman redeems herself; O’s advance

DES MOINES - Megan Wagaman had a chance to clinch it, and didn't.

Then, she had a chance to win it, and did.

Wagaman's left-handed basket with 12 seconds left snapped a tie, and 11th-rated Springville survived an outside barrage by No. 4 Fremont-Mills, 53-50, in a Class 1A quarterfinal at the girls' state basketball tournament Monday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

'That's the way we like it,” cracked Sarah Matus. 'We like to make it interesting.”

Springville (22-3) will face No. 2 Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton in a semifinal at 10 a.m. Thursday. The Spartans (25-0) downed Bedford, 63-48, Monday.

The Orioles advanced despite 22 turnovers and 2-of-7 free-throw shooting. Credit 65.7-percent accuracy from the floor.

And Wagaman's resolve.

The junior missed the front end of bonus opportunities twice with the Orioles holding a 50-47 lead.

Instead, Taryn Williams drilled a 3-pointer to tie it with 30 seconds left.

Wagaman got another chance, with the ball under the basket, and this time she was golden.

'I knew if I missed, my teammates would help me out. I was frustrated with myself, but things worked out,” she said.

Left-handed didn't mean weak-handed.

'Everything we do around the basket (during drills), we do with both hands,” said Springville Coach Nate Sanderson.

'Megan, she's a tough kid, mentally and physically. There's no give-up in any of our kids.”

Fremont-Mills (23-2) hoisted 37 3-points attempts, making nine. The 37th, a potential winner, was off the mark by Macy Williams.

'I had a couple open shots at the end,” she said. 'They should have gone down.”

Matus hit the first of two free throws with 4 seconds left. After she missed the second, Williams narrowly missed from half court.

Springville improved to 6-1 all-time at Wells Fargo. The Orioles were 1A champions in 2008, runners-up in 2009.

The Orioles sizzled in the first half, hitting 15 of 19 shots (78.9 percent) on their way to a 33-22 halftime lead.

It was the youngsters that got the Orioles in front. Freshmen Mikayla Nachazel, Rylee Menster and Alyssa Jaeger combined for Springville's first 17 points.

'We were really focused at the start,” Nachazel said. 'We wanted to come out with a lot of aggressiveness.”

A 16-0 blitz turned an 8-6 deficit into a 22-8 lead, and the margin grew to 16 points on a pair of occasions before the Knights closed within 11 by intermission.

Fremont-Mills scored 11 straight points midway through the third quarter to cut the gap to 39-37, then tied it at 47, then again at 50.

Wagaman made all seven of her field-goal attempts and led the Orioles with 14 points. Matus finished with 13. Menster posted nine points and seven assists.

Macy Williams tallied 20 for Fremont-Mills. Taryn Williams added 19.

SPRINGVILLE 53, FREMONT-MILLS 50 (Class 1A State Quarterfinal)

At Des Moines

SPRINGVILLE (53): Megan Wagaman 7-7 0-2 14, Rylee Menster 4-7 0-1 9, Sarah Matus 4-7 2-4 13, Rachel Gloeckner 1-3 0-0 3, Mikayla Nachazel 4-8 0-0 8, Alyssa Jaeger 1-1 0-0 2, Chrissy Hoogland 0-0 0-0 0, Madi Wagaman 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 23-35 2-7 53.

FREMONT-MILLS (50): Taryn Williams 7-19 0-0 19, Jenna Nelson 1-6 0-0 2, Kelsey Hurley 0-2 0-0 0, Macy Williams 6-21 4-4 20, Andrea McClary 3-4 1-4 7, Delaney Langfelt 0-0 0-0 0, Joni Laughlin 0-0 0-0 0, Haylee Chambers 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 18-54 5-8 50.

Halftime: Springville 33, Fremont-Mills 22. 3-point goals: Springville 5-9 (Menster 1-2, Matus 3-5, Gloeckner 1-2), Fremont-Mills 9-37 (T.Williams 5-16, Nelson 0-4, Hurley 0-1, M.Williams 4-15, Chambers 0-1). Team fouls: Springville 10, Fremont-Mills 16. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Springville 30 (Nachazel, Ma.Wagaman 5), Fremont-Mills 22 (Hurley 6). Assists: Springville 16 (Menster 7), Fremont-Mills 15 (M.Williams 5). Steals: Springville 5 (Menster 3), Fremont-Mills 11 (McClary 6). Turnovers: Springville 22, Fremont-Mills 10.

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