Orioles hold off late MSM surge

By Jeff Linder The Gazette DES MOINES - Like an old pickup with a wobbly tire and leaking oil by the pint, the Springville Orioles sputtered and wheezed into the garage.Safely. The top-ranked Orioles watched a 15-point lead melt to one, but made enough plays on the offensive glass and enough free throws at the end to hold off No. 13 Martensdale-St. Marys, 44-36, in a Class 1A quarterfinal at the girls' state basketball tournament Monday evening at Wells Fargo Arena. “We survived and we advanced,” said guard Bre Oxley. “We're playing Wednesday, and that's all that matters.” Springville (25-1) meets No. 5 North Butler in a semifinal at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The Bearcats (22-1) held off Coon Rapids-Bayard, 40-39, Monday. The defending champions didn't always look like an experienced team. They committed 26 turnovers and failed to make a field goal in the fourth quarter. But their survived. And they advanced. “I'm proud that we found a way to get it done,” said Orioles Coach Brian O'Donnell. “And we found a way to get it done when things weren't going our way.” “We don't always play our best, but we made sure we pulled it out,” said Springville's Katie Eiben, who led all scorers with 15 points. Trailing 35-20 heading into the fourth quarter, Martensdale-St. Marys (21-5) carved the deficit to 37-36 when Mackenzie Morrison made two free throws with 1:37 to play. Springville saved itself on the offensive glass on the subsequent possession. Oxley made the first of two free throws. Eiben rebounded the second and was fouled. Eiben made the first of two, and Sarah Davidson rebounded the second. Eiben drew another foul at the 1:01 mark and made the second free throw to make it 40-36. Oxley made two more foul shots, Davidson added a pair, the the Orioles were home free. Safely. Finally. “They made free throws at the end like a championship team does,” said MSM Coach Jed Alexander. “It's hard to beat a team with all seniors like them.” Morrison stands 6-foot-4, but the Orioles got her into foul trouble, made her a non-factor and enjoyed a 50-28 rebounding advantage. That, and strong defense, saved the day.Callie Kloubec finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.The first quarter was brutal - the teams combined for 15 turnovers (nine by the Orioles) and three baskets. Springville led, 4-3, then extended it to 19-8 at halftime. MSM shot 14 percent (3 of 21) from the floor and committed 13 turnovers in the first half. The Blue Devils cut a 14-point deficit to seven late in the third quarter before Eiben went to work. She made a three-point play, made one of two free throws the next time down the court, then finished in transition to restore the lead to 13. Kloubec scored on another fast break, and the Orioles had their biggest lead of the game, 35-20, to start the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils rallied behind Morgan Halverson, who hit three 3-pointers and scored all of her team-high 11 points in the fourth quarter. Her final trey, with 3:42 to go, made it 37-34. Morrison's foul shots cut it to one. But the Orioles survived. And advanced. n Contact the writer: (319) 368-8857 or jeff.linder@gazcomm.com