Bishop Heelan 69, Marion 61

As usual, Carli Tritz was right in the middle of things when Bishop Heelan of Sioux City took control.

Tritz led a third-quarter spurt that lifted top-ranked Heelan past No. 8 Marion 69-61 Tuesday in a first-round Class 3A game.

The Crusaders prevailed in a game that featured some of the state's top talent and moved into a semifinal game at 6 p.m. Thursday with a 24-1 record.

Tritz, who'll play at Creighton next season, scored 23 points, handed out nine assists and made three steals. Teammate Millie Niggeling, who has signed with Vermont, added 14 points and seven rebounds. Maggie Vondrak pulled down 15 rebounds and scored eight points for the Crusaders.

For Marion, Wisconsin signee Morgan Paige scored 34 points and handed out six assists. Paige made her first five shots and finished 11-for-21 from the field, including 4-for-8 on 3-pointers. Her 34 points set a new single-game 3A record, breaking the old mark of 32 by Waukon’s Samantha Reiser in 2005 (vs. MOC-Floyd Valley).

Paige's fast start helped Marion jump to an early 19-13 lead. Heelan rallied to go up by six in the second quarter, then found itself clinging to a 34-32 lead after Marion's Maggie Murphy made a layup early in the third quarter.

That's when Tritz stepped it up.

During a 14-6 run, the 5-foot-11 guard sank a free throw, stole the ball near midcourt and drove for a layup, made two more free throws, scored on a fastbreak layup, then fed Jenna Graves for a layup that she turned into a three-point play.

The big spurt stretched Heelan's lead to 48-38 and Marion never got closer than six points the rest of the way.

Heelan is seeking a third straight trip to the championship game after winning the title in 2008 and finishing second last year. Marion finishes 23-2.