DES MOINES, Iowa – Mount Vernon is another step closer in its bid to repeat as the Class 3A state champion.
The top-seeded Mustangs, lacking size but not skill, rode their long-range shooting to a 55-44 victory over No. 8 seed Cherokee to start the 3A portion of the tournament. They knocked down 11 3-pointers, flashed some quick hands on defense and held their own on the boards against their taller opponent to gain a berth in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Quinn Pershing was the most accurate of the Mount Vernon shooters from distance, going 6-for-9 from behind the arc in scoring 21 points, well above her 12.1 average coming in. Savanna Wright, an all-tournament selection last year, added 14 points with three triples while tacking on four rebounds and three steals.
Northern Iowa signee Taylor Franck dished out eight assists and scored six points for the Mustangs (23-2), who won their 21st straight game. Her sister Courtney contributed 11 rebounds and five points, while Rylee Rasmussen had six points and five rebounds.
Mount Vernon was outrebounded just 33-31 and maintained its separation on the scoreboard with 12 steals and some sharp passing, collecting assists on 15 of its 20 field goals.
Kadyn Volkert scored 13 points and Addy Wolfswinkel had 12 for Cherokee (20-4), which played in the tournament for the ninth time and lost for the first time since Jan. 19, snapping an 11-game winning streak. The Braves committed 15 turnovers and shot just 35 percent.
Despite those struggles shooting the ball, the Braves made a run at Mount Vernon after trailing 23-14 at halftime. They twice drew to within three points, the second time at 30-27 when 6-foot-3 Deidra Doeden scored inside.
Mount Vernon answered with a 9-2 run fueled by treys from Pershing and Lucy Wischmeyer to go up by 10 and led 41-33 heading into the fourth quarter. Anna Nixon’s putback for Cherokee cut the lead to 41-35 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Braves got no closer.
Wright, who had been 1-for-9 from distance, buried two straight from beyond the arc and the Mustangs went on to build a 52-40 lead with 2:59 remaining, more than enough to hold on and advance.
Doeden came in averaging 16.4 points, but the Mustangs did a good job surrounding her on defense and limited her to eight shots and nine points, though she did grab 15 rebounds, hand out four assists and block a shot.
