NEWELL-FONDA 59, VALLEY COMMUNITY 40

Newell-Fonda is one victory from another trip to the Class 1A state championship game.

The sixth-ranked Mustangs used the scoring of Susan Kies and Alisa Christensen and relentless full-court pressure to beat No. 9 Valley Community 59-40 in first-round action Monday.

That sends Newell-Fonda into a semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against second-ranked Exira, which got 32 points and 20 rebounds from Hallie Christofferson in a 63-57 victory over Prince of Peace in Monday's first game.

Kies led Newell-Fonda with 21 points, while Christensen put together a solid line -- 15 points, seven rebounds, six steals and five assists. The Mustangs had 18 steals in all and forced 31 turnovers.

Newell-Fonda improves to 23-2 and is unbeaten against 1A schools. The Mustangs finished second in the 2008 state tournament and also took runner-up honors in 1997 and 2000.

Shantel Lehmann led Valley with 22 points. During one stretch from late in the first quarter to early in the third quarter, Lehmann scored 16 straight Valley points.

Newell-Fonda never trailed after scoring the final six points of the first quarter for a 15-10 lead. Valley trimmed a 15-point deficit to 42-34 early in the fourth quarter, but Newell-Fonda went on a 17-4 run to wrap it up.

Valley, making its first state tournament trip since 1998, finishes 23-3.