Western ends North Linn's run

DES MOINES -- Libby Falconer stood in the interview room, in no rush to take off her white uniform.   "I couldn't have asked for a better senior season," she said. "I'd give anything to wear this jersey one more time."   North Linn's run ended in the Class 2A state semifinals Thursday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena, at the hands of top-ranked, two-time defending champion Western Christian, 69-52.   The best season in North Linn history ended at 24-2. It ended against a team that was simply superior.   "They have so many weapons, so many kids that can score," said Lynx Coach Brian Wheatley. "We could never get over the hump."   Western (26-1) pursues a third straight title at 8 p.m. Friday opposite No. 4 Hudson (25-1). The Pirates upended No. 2 Cascade, 45-33, Thursday.   "It feels pretty awesome to have a chance to defend our title," said Jamie Gesink, who posted 16 points and 12 rebounds.   Erika Douma tallied 18 points, all from the arc -- she was 6 of 12 from deep.   The Wolfpack broke it open quickly, scoring 10 straight points for a 15-5 advantage. The champs were never in jeopardy, but never landed another haymaker. North Linn played them even most of the rest of the way.   "We hung in there," said North Linn junior Nicole Miller. "We'd get a little run, then they'd answer with a three."   Usually, it came from Douma.   North Linn got within 31-22 on a six-point trip late in the second quarter. Brooke Dobney scored and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but Morgan Boer cleaned it up and put it in. Then, after Boer missed the front end of a one-and-one, Miller got the ball and scored.   It was 36-22 at halftime, 49-36 after three quarters. The largest margin was 19 points, on three occasions in the fourth quarter.   The Lynx needed an exceptional game to compete with the Wolfpack. The effort was there, but the shooting touch wasn't -- they shot 34.5 percent (19 of 55).   "If we could have hit more shots, we would have stayed with them longer," Falconer said. "We ran the floor with them, we just needed to hit more shots."   Miller led the Lynx with 17 points before fouling out late. Falconer posted 12 points and Boer provided eight points and 11 rebounds.   North Linn was making its first state appearance since 1997, and advanced past the first round for the first time ever (beating South Central Calhoun on Monday).   "We had a fantastic season," Boer said. "We got here and met our long-term goal. We extended the experience as long as we could."   

WESTERN CHRISTIAN 69, NORTH LINN 52  

Class 2A State Semifinal, at Wells Fargo Arena  

WESTERN CHRISTIAN (69): Erika Douma 6-12 0-0 18, Alissa Pollema 0-3 0-0 0, Kenzie Bousema 2-15 1-1 5, Jamie Gesink 5-10 6-7 16, Summer Jansen 2-6 1-2 5, Abby Pollema 0-0 0-0 0, Payton Harmsen 3-6 1-3 10, Kaira Moss 3-4 3-4 9, Brittany Buren 1-1 0-0 2, Katie Scholten 0-0 0-0 0, Abbie Wolterstorff 0-2 0-0 0, Mariah Kleinwolterink 0-0 0-0 0, Emily Van Otterloo 0-0 0-0 0, Corrie Jansen 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-62 12-17 69.  

NORTH LINN (52): Maddie Boer 2-7 2-2 6, Nicole Miller 7-20 3-5 17, Brooke Dobney 1-5 1-3 3, Morgan Boer 3-6 2-4 8, Libby Falconer 3-10 6-11 12, Natalie Dudley 0-0 0-0 0, Jessica Rechkemmer 0-0 0-0 0, Kayla Carrothers 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor Bistline 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Burke 1-1 0-0 2, Katie Kurt 0-1 0-0 0, Makayla Dobney 1-2 0-0 2, Rachel Supple 0-0 0-0 0, Jackie Falconer 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 19-55 14-25 52.  

Halftime: Western 36, North Linn 22.

3-point goals: Western 9-25 (Douma 6-12, Pollema 0-3, Bousema 0-5, Harmsen 3-4, Wolterstorff 0-1), North Linn 0-10 (Ma.Boer 0-2, Miller 0-2, B.Dobney 0-3, Carrothers 0-1, Kurt 0-1, J.Falconer 0-1).

Team fouls: Western 20, North Linn 18.

Fouled out: Miller.

Rebounds: Western 46 (Gesink 12), North Linn 37 (Mo.Boer 11).

 Assists: Western 14 (Pollema 6), North Linn 8 (three with 2).

Steals: Western 6 (Pollema, Gesink 2), North Linn 11 (Ma.Boer, Mo.Boer 3).

Turnovers: Western 17, North Linn 16.