Class 1A Championship - AGWSR 28, SPRINGVILLE 27

AGWSR came out of a wild finish with its first state championship.

Jessica McDowell hit a turnaround shot for the winning basket with 14.3 seconds left and AGSWR held on through a series of missed free throws for a 28-27 victory over defending champion Springville on Friday night in the Class 1A championship game.

The victory capped a 26-0 season for the Cougars, who were in the tournament for the fourth straight year and reached the championship game for the first time. Springville finished 26-2, falling just short in its bid to repeat.

In a back-and-forth game dominated by defense, neither team led by more than four points. Springville took a 27-25 lead on Bre Oxley's 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter, but the Orioles couldn't score again.

AGWSR's Macy Ubben made one of two free throws to cut the lead to 27-26 with 1:41 left and the Cougars got the ball back on Kelsey Enslin's steal with 29 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Enslin lobbed the ball to McDowell on the right low block, the 6-foot senior turned and made the shot while being fouled.

McDowell missed the free throw and then missed the front end of two 1-and-1 opportunities. But Springville couldn't capitalize, missing a free throw and two shots in the final seconds, the last a desperation heave at the buzzer.

Enslin and Megan Pieters led AGWSR with nine points each and Pieters grabbed 10 rebounds. Katie Eiben led Springville with 11 points and Sarah Davidson scored eight.

AGWSR came into the tournament as the state's top defensive team and did nothing to tarnish its reputation. The Cougars held their three state tourney opponents to an average of 32 points. Only four teams scored more than 30 on AGWSR this season.

Eiben was named captain of the all-tournament team for the second straight year. She was joined on the team by Davidson, McDowell, Ubben, North Butler's Elizabeth Schroeder and George-Little Rock's Patrice Peters.

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