2011 Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament

Class 2A Championship

OA-BCIG 46, Estherville-LC 35

OA-BCIG beat one of the state's top defensive teams with some solid defense of its own and won the Class 2A state championship.

Jessie Pauley and Morgan VanDerSloot scored 11 points each and the top-ranked Falcons held Estherville-Lincoln Central in check throughout in completing an unbeaten season with a 46-35 victory.

OA-BCIG scored the final 11 points of the first quarter to take a 13-8 lead and remained ahead the rest of the way to finish 26-0.

Unranked Estherville-Lincoln Central, which starts four sophomores and a junior, twice got to within two points in the fourth quarter, the last time at 32-30 on Casey Sievert's baseline jumper.

But VanDerSloot sank two free throws, Schmidt scored from the baseline and Pauley banked in a 5-footer to make it 38-30 with 2:41 left. The Falcons then made eight of nine free throws to secure their title.

Alyssa Johnson led Estherville-Lincoln Central with 10 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks. Emily Kirchner also scored 10 and grabbed nine rebounds.

Pauley, who scored 33 points and went 7-for-7 from 3-point range in a semifinal win over Monticello, shot just 3-for-14 in this one but contributed in other ways. She grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked three shots, handed out two assists and made two steals.

A junior, Pauley has committed to play at Northern Iowa.

Estherville-Lincoln Central finishes 23-5 and with its young lineup, the Midgettes will be a contender to return to state next season.

Pauley was voted captain of the all-tournament team. She was joined on the honor unit by VanDerSloot, Johnson, Kirchner, Roland-Story's Maddie Oliver and Monticello's Kelsie Etten.