Lynx make the plays at the end

DES MOINES -- In a nip-and-tuck, back-and forth thriller, it came down to this:   "Our kids love to play basketball," said North Linn Coach Brian Wheatley. "And they didn't want it to be over tonight."   The fifth-ranked Lynx made the pivotal fourth-quarter surge, a 9-0 spree in less than 2 minutes that decided the game, and outlasted No. 12 South Central Calhoun, 57-49, in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the girls' state basketball tournament Monday night at Wells Fargo Arena.   It is the first state-tournament win in school history for North Linn.   "We wanted to be the first," said junior guard Maddie Boer. "We had some rough patches, but we pulled together and got it done."   The Lynx (24-1) will play No. 1 Western Christian (24-1) or Des Moines Christian (20-4) in a 2A semifinal at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The Wolfpack and the Lions play at 10 Tuesday morning.Western is the two-time defending champion.   South Central Calhoun (21-4) took its final lead at 42-40 on the last of Ashley Henkenius' five 3-pointers.   The next stretch belonged to the Lynx. And ultimately, so did the game.   Libby Falconer converted both ends of a one-and-one to tie the game, then scored on a three-point play with 2:55 remaining to put North Linn in front, 45-42.   "I looked up at the scoreboard before going to the line and I saw we were down two," Falconer said. "I knew I really had to get focused."   Nicole Miller scored on a short jumper to send the lead to five, then was the recipient of a pass after Morgan Boer's steal and converted to make it 49-42 at the 2:01 mark.   "Once something happens, it keeps going," Miller said. "It's contagious."   The Titans got within four on three occasions in the final 1:40, but each time, the Lynx answered. Falconer had a pair of baskets, then Miller tallied the final four points.   Miller finished with 25 points (11 in the first quarter), and Falconer added 11 (nine in the fourth).   "When they started pressing us at the end, I knew Nicole could get the ball to me," Falconer said. "When you play with girls like Nicole and Maddie, you have to be able to run the court."   The Lynx built an 18-10 lead after one quarter behind 11 points from Miller, and extended it to 23-12 on Miller's teardrop shot in transition with 5:30 left in the second quarter.   But the game turned when Falconer was whistled for her third foul a bit later, and the complexion of the game changed.   South Central Calhoun began pounding the ball inside with success, and whittled away at the lead. The Titans concluded the half with a 12-3 spree, closed the margin to 26-24, and took a slew of momentum into the locker room.   Back-to-back 3-pointers by Henkenius gave the Titans a 32-30 lead. It was 37-all heading to the final period.   Henkenius paced the Titans with 17 points. Haley Birks added 15.   "When they made that run at the end, we lost a lot of confidence, and we couldn't get it back," Henkenius said.   After it was over, the Lynx retreated to their hotel for the night. They'll watch the final 2A quarterfinal, they'll head home and they'll prepare for another game.   They earned another game.  

NORTH LINN 57, SOUTH CENTRAL CALHOUN 49  

Class 2A State Quarterfinal, at Wells Fargo Arena  

SOUTH CENTRAL CALHOUN (49): Michaela Graffunder 0-1 2-2 2, Hannah Corey 3-8 1-3 7, Kori Assman 2-6 2-6 0-0 4, Ashley Henkenius 6-11 0-0 17, Haley Birks 5-13 4-4 15, Maria Dischler 0-0 0-2 0, Tyffaney Toms 1-9 2-3 4. Totals 17-48 9-14 49   .

NORTH LINN

(57): Maddie Boer 3-5 1-2 8, Nicole Miller 10-20 5-5 25, Brooke Dobney 1-6 0-0 3, Morgan Boer 3-8 0-0 6, Libby Falconer 4-6 3-3 11, Kayla Carrothers 0-1 1-2 1, Katie Kurt 1-4 0-0 3, Makayla Dobney 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-50 10-12 57.  

Halftime: North Linn 26, SCC 24.

3-point goals: SCC 6-20 (Corey 0-3, Assman 0-1, Henkenius 5-9, Birks 1-7), North Linn 3-12 (Ma.Boer 1-1, Miller 0-2, B.Dobney 1-6, Kurt 1-3).

Team fouls: SCC 14, North Linn 14.

Fouled out: none.

Rebounds: SCC 29 (Birks, Toms 6), North Linn 32 (Miller 7).

Assists: SCC 12 (Graffunder 4), North Linn 12 (Ma.Boer 6).

Steals: SCC 10 (Henkenius 3), North Linn 9 (Miller 5).

Turnovers: SCC 15, North Linn 12.