2011 Iowa Girls State Basketball
Tournament
Class 1A Semifinals
Martensdale-St. Marys 63, West Hancock 50
Top-ranked Martensdale-St. Marys is headed
to the Class 1A state championship game after an impressive semifinal
performance.
The Blue Devils got 18
points from senior center Mackenzie Morrison, played solid defense and did a
superb job of sharing the ball in a 63-50 victory over No. 5 West Hancock.
Morgan Halverson gave Martensdale-St. Marys a big lift
off the bench with 15 points and three steals, while point guard Sam Norris had
14 points, six assists and three steals.
The Blue Devils moved
the ball so well that they had assists on 20 of their 23 field goals. That
crisp passing led to 53.5 percent shooting, including a 5-for-8 effort from
3-point range. On the defensive end, the Blue Devils came up with 14 steals and
Morrison blocked eight shots, one short of the Class 1A record.
Morrison now has 15
blocks in two games. The 1A record for a tournament is 18 by Lynnville-Sully's
Jessica Nikkel in 1997.
Sophomore Anna Mallen led West Hancock with 12 points, 10 rebounds and
five steals, while Sarah Mallen had 10 points and
five assists. West Hancock started five juniors and finished 25-2.
Martensdale-St. Marys is 25-2 and
will go for its first state title at 6 p.m. Friday.
The two teams went back
and forth for most of the first three quarters. West Hancock built an early
three-point lead and Martensdale-St. Marys led by as man as six before settling for a 31-30 halftime
lead.
The Blue Devils finally
began taking control late in third quarter, scoring the final four points of
that period and the first four points of the fourth quarter for a 48-37 lead.
West Hancock drew to
48-42 on Ahna Bruns' basket
with 5:27 left, plenty of time to make a run. But Martensdale-St.
Marys held the Eagles scoreless for the next 3:20 and
ran off eight straight points to put it out of reach. Norris sank four free throws during that run and the left-handed Morrison
scored on a nifty spin move, which she finished a right-handed shot.