Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament

Class 4A Semifinals

Iowa City West 65, Linn-Mar 58 (OT)

They may be young, but the Iowa City West Women of Troy are going to the Class 4A state championship game.

Third-ranked West rallied from an early 14-point deficit, then outscored No. 2 Linn-Mar 9-2 in overtime for a 65-58 semifinal victory.

West looked to be in good shape in regulation, taking a 56-53 lead when sophomore Ally Disterhoft hit a free throw with 18.4 seconds left. But Linn-Mar star Kiah Stokes, the Connecticut recruit known for her dominating inside play, buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 6 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

Linn-Mar, the defending state champion, then took a 58-56 lead on Kailee Karr's driving layup. But West -- which starts four juniors alongside Disterhoft -- kept its composure and pulled out the victory.

West's Shelly Stumpff tied it at 58 when she followed her own miss, scored and drew the fifth foul on Stokes, the state's career leader in blocks. Stumpff missed the free throw, but West tipped the ball out and Shahana Williams picked it up for the Women of Troy.

Moments later, The 5-foot-6 Williams slipped inside for a 5-footer that put West ahead to stay with 1:46 left. West secured the victory by making five of six free throws in the final minute.

Disterhoft led West with 17 points and played all 36 minutes. Tatum Klein added 12 points and Piper McKenzie scored 10 to go with nine rebounds. Stumpff also grabbed nine rebounds and scored nine points.

Stokes concluded a brilliant career by scoring 22 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and blocking five shots. Karr scored 12 points for the Lions and sophomore Mykaela Brandt added 11.

With Stokes scoring seven points and her teammates hitting three 3-pointers, Linn-Mar jumped to an 18-4 lead. West's pressing defense then began taking a toll and the Women of Troy roared back, outscoring the Lions 28-10 to take a 32-28 halftime lead.

The two teams went back and forth throughout the second half with neither leading by more than six.

West will take a 23-2 record into the championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday. Linn-Mar, which beat West 63-49 at midseason, finishes 22-3 after a sensational run in which the Lions fashioned a 53-game regular-season winning streak.