BALLARD 59, WAUKON 30

Ballard's veteran star combined with the team's new standout to lead the Bombers to the Class 3A state championship game.

Senior Amanda Zimmerman scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and sophomore Taylor Greenfield showed off her skills while scoring 16 points as top-ranked Ballard rolled past No. 4 Waukon 59-30 in a semifinal game Thursday night.

Alexa Hugee added 11 points and seven rebounds for Ballard, which will take a 25-1 record into the championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday. This is Ballard's fourth straight trip to the state tournament, but the Bombers are still looking for their first title. They were second in 2006, when Zimmerman was a freshman.

Zimmerman, Hugee and Greenfield were taller than any defender Waukon could put on them and they capitalized on that by getting almost all of their baskets inside. Zimmerman also blocked four shots and handed out three assists.

The 6-foot-1 Greenfield showed some range with her shooting and even made a 3-pointer. Another time, she drove most of the way down the court, pulled up and banked in a jumper.

Ballard jumped to a 15-5 lead in the first quarter, then outscored Waukon 12-2 in the second quarter to open a 27-7 halftime lead. Waukon never got closer than 18 in the second half.

Kristyna Herman had a solid game for Waukon, scoring 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds. The Indians, who won the state championship in 2004, finished 21-3.