North Linn pressed, trapped and ran its way to yet another victory, this one sending the Lynx to the state semifinals for the fifth time in the last six years.
Top-seeded North Linn scored the game’s first eight points and never let up in beating Montezuma 68-38 to start the Class 1A session of this year’s tournament. The Lynx parlayed 10 steals and a 22-0 edge in points off turnovers into a 35-6 halftime lead, then gave the Bravettes no chance to get much closer over the final two quarters.
Montezuma took better care of the ball and shot it well in the second half but was just too far behind to pose any kind of threat.
Macy Boge led North Linn with 20 points and went 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Kamryn Kurt added 15 points, six assists and six steals, while Allie Haughenbury scored 12 on 6-for-9 shooting.
The Lynx finished with 14 steals, a 40-4 bulge in points in the paint and a 37- 5 advantage in points off turnovers. Six players picked up at least one steal for the Lynx, who shot 61.5 percent in the first half and 55 percent for the game.
Montezuma, making the school’s 16th state tournament appearance, got 12 points from Ellen Cook on four 3-pointers and 10 points and seven rebounds from Claire Erselius. The Bravettes finished with 22 turnovers, but turned it over only seven times in the second half, when they were outscored just 33-32.
North Linn led 11-2 after the first quarter, then really started clicking over the next 8 minutes. The Lynx made 11 of their 14 shots in the second quarter, most of them layups, and scored the final 17 points of the half to build their 29-point lead.
Macy Boge knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 42-9 and the Lynx briefly set a continuous clock in motion when Skylar Benesh converted a three-point play for a 67-32 lead with 4:40 left.
North Linn has reached the 1A semifinals for the third straight year. They lost in the first round of the 2A tournament in 2021, won the 2A championship in 2020 and made it to the 2A semis in 2019. The Lynx will take a 24-1 record into the next round at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Montezuma made it to Des Moines with a fairly young team and finished 20-5 in its seventh season under IGHSAU Hall of Famer Janel Burgess, who has taken the Bravettes to state five times.