Amy Nestingen's only basket of the second half was the biggest of the game for Waukee.

Nestingen drove down the right side of the lane and banked in a layup just before the buzzer to give sixth-ranked Waukee a 49-47 victory over No. 3 Mason City in a first-round Class 4A game of big momentum swings.

Waukee fell behind by nine points at halftime, rallied to take a four-point lead, then fell behind by five before making its final charge. The Warriors improved to 20-5 and will play No. 2 Iowa City West in a semifinal game at noon on Friday. Mason City, which beat Waukee 63-53 during the regular season, finished 21-3.

Mason City tied the score at 47 on Jadda Buckley's two free throws with 39.2 seconds left and got the ball back when Waukee lost it out of bounds. But the Mohawks turned it over with 11.1 seconds remaining, just enough time for the Warriors to bring the ball up the floor and get it to Nestingen for the game-winner.

Her bucket capped a hot-shooting second half for the Warriors, who were 13-of-14 in the half, or 93 percent.

Britney Boland led Waukee with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Megan Shryack scored 10 points, Megan Goodson eight and Nestingen seven. Nestingen made her only two field goal attempts and led the Warriors with seven rebounds.

Buckley, a junior guard who has committed to Iowa State, led Mason City with 21 points and five assists and Cortni Rush scored 16.

Waukee used runs of 6-0 and 12-2 to rally from a 27-18 halftime deficit and take a 40-36 lead early in the fourth quarter. Mason City game right back with a 9-0 burst that Rush capped with a steal and layup, giving the Mohawks a 45-40 lead with 5:52 left. But Waukee held Mason City without a field goal the rest of the way and pulled out the victory in its fifth straight state tournament appearance.