In a game ruled by the defenses, Mount Vernon made just enough plays on its offensive end to reach Class 3A championship game.
The top-seeded Mustangs used a 9-3 second-half run to build a seven-point lead and that proved to be enough to hold on for a 35-34 victory over sixth-seeded Estherville-Lincoln Central to start the 3A semifinal round.
It was a stark contrast to Mount Vernon’s 75-19 romp past West Marshall in the opening round, but the Mustangs (24-1) showed they also could win when they had to grind it out.
They’ll try for their second state championship at 8 p.m. on Friday. Mount Vernon won the Class 2A title in 2010 and finished second in 3A the following year. Estherville-Lincoln Central, the state runner-up last year, finishes another fine season with a 21-4 record.
Sydney Huber led Mount Vernon with 11 points, including a 3-pointer that started her team’s decisive run. Courtney Franck added eight points and seven rebounds for the Mustangs, while Taylor Franck scored seven to go with three rebounds and three steals.
ELC did a good job keeping the ball away from 6-foot-3 Chloe Meester, who averages 14.5 points. Meester was limited to five shots and finished with six points but dominated on the glass with 14 rebounds.
Haylee Stokes led ELC with 15 points and filled out her stat line with six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Hillary Ruschy added nine points, all on three 3-pointers in a fourth-quarter comeback effort that fell short.
Each team forced the other into tough shots and that was reflected in the percentages. Mount Vernon shot just 31 percent and went 4-for-20 from 3-point range. ELC was limited to 28.6 percent and was 5-for-20 from deep.
ELC led by as many as five points in the first half before Courtney Franck’s late 3 gave Mount Vernon a 17-14 halftime lead. The Mustangs were clinging to a 22-21 lead late in the third quarter when they kicked into gear. Over a 5-minute stretch spanning the quarter break, Huber hit a 3 and made a layup and Courtney Franck scored twice, increasing the lead to 31-24.
ELC kept hanging around and trailed 34-31 after Ruschy knocked down a 3 from the top of the key with 13 seconds left. They got another chance when Mount Vernon turned it over, but Stokes missed a hurried 3-point shot. After Courtney Franck missed two free throws, Ruschy hit a 3 at the buzzer to make it a one-point game at the end.
