Newell-Fonda is in the state tournament for the seventh straight year and for the seventh straight time, the Mustangs have reached the semifinals.
Already the owner of four state championships, Newell-Fonda jumped on Calamus-Wheatland early in their Class 1A quarterfinal matchup and rolled to a 68-30 victory.
It was a typical Newell-Fonda performance. The second-seeded Mustangs ran, pressed and scored in bunches as coach Dick Jungers moved players in and out of the game. Twelve of his players saw action and nine scored.
Newell-Fonda is now 31-14 in state tournament play, tying the program with Mediapolis for second on the all-time state tourney victory list. Ankeny leads with 43 state tournament wins.
Jungers’ daughter Kierra led the scoring in this one with 15 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists and five of the Mustangs’ 24 steals. Kinzee Hinders added 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals, while McKenna Sievers came up with 10 points, seven assists and five steals.
Newell-Fonda shot 67 percent in the first half and 52.7 percent for the game, outscored Calamus-Wheatland 46-12 in the paint and held the Warriors to 10 points in the second half.
Kahlie Hill led Calamus-Wheatland with nine points and Haley Green scored six.
Newell-Fonda burst of the gates quickly, scoring the game’s first 14 points in less than 3 minutes. Hinders made a layup and converted a three-point play, Isabel Bartek knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers and McKenna Sievers followed with another 3. Just like that, it was 14-0 with 5:19 left in the quarter.
The Mustangs led 23-11 at the end of the quarter and were up 41-20 at halftime, then ensured the game would remain one-sided by shooting 9-for-12 and outscoring the Warriors 19-2 in the third quarter for a 60-22 lead.
Newell-Fonda made four straight championship game appearances starting in 2018, finishing second that year before winning the next three titles. The Mustangs lost in the semifinals in 2022 and fell to Algona Bishop Garrigan in last year’s title game. Newell-Fonda advances this year with a 23-2 record and will play at 3:15 p.m. Friday.
Calamus-Wheatland reached the state tournament for the first time and set a school record for victories in the five-player era, finishing with a 24-2 record. The Warriors’ only other loss was to top-ranked North Linn, which also will play in the 1A semifinals on Friday.