Jessie Pauley helped save her top-ranked team from what would have been a stunning upset.

Pauley scored 17 of her 28 points in the second half and OA-BCIG rallied to beat unranked West Marshall 48-41 in a first-round Class 2A game.

OA-BCIG raced to an early 10-point lead, fell behind by nine, then clawed back to remain unbeaten. The Falcons will take a 26-0 record into a semifinal game at noon Thursday against fifth-ranked Western Christian.

Pauley, who'll play at Northern Iowa next season, also grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked three shots and made five of her team's 13 steals, which helped the Falcons overcome their 27.7 percent shooting. Morgan VanDerSloot added 11 points for OA-BCIG, which is the defending state champion and has won 52 straight games.

McKenzie Shipley led West Marshall with 14 points and nine rebounds. Hailee Halverson added eight points for the Trojans, who finished with a 20-6 record.

Pauley made three of her team's six 3-pointers in the first quarter as OA-BCIG built a 20-10 lead. West Marshall came back with 13 straight points to take the lead and held the defending champs without a field goal in the second quarter. When Shipley hit a 3-pointer at the start of the third quarter, the Trojans led 32-23.

Pauley scored all 10 of her team's points in the third quarter to keep the Falcons within striking distance, then hit a 3 midway through the fourth quarter for a 40-39 lead.

West Marshall regained the lead on Shipley's jumper, but Pauley came through again. She blocked a shot and sank two free throws, then rebounded a West Marshall shot that rimmed out before dropping in two more free throws, putting the Falcons up 44-41. OA-BCIG then made four more foul shots to wrap it up.