No matter who's on the floor, Western
Christian always seems to thrive at state tournament time.
The Wolfpack had to work to get their latest victory, however,
coming from behind in the fourth quarter to beat North Linn 58-48.
Western got another big game from 6-foot-2 junior
Ashtyn Veerbeek, who went 14-for-18 on free throws in
scoring 25 points and pulled down 19 rebounds. Erika Feenstra
added 18 points for Western on 7-for-11 shooting and Jessi DeJager
scored 10.
Veerbeek, who has committed
to Nebraska, is more than just an inside player. She handles the ball well,
too, and in one sequence she blocked a shot, grabbed the ball, dribbled the
length of the court and made a reverse layup.
Guard Karsyn Winterfeld had only one
basket for the fourth-ranked Wolfpack, but it was a big one. She hit a
3-pointer with just over three minutes to play to give Western a 50-44 lead,
starting a game-ending 11-4 run that wrapped up the Wolfpack's 23rd victory in
25 outings.
A young North Linn team was impressive in losing for
just the second time in 26 games. The Lynx started two freshman
and three juniors and did not have a senior on the roster.
Freshman Grace Flanagan, who plays with the poise of
someone much older, led North Linn with 15 points. Anna LeGrand
scored 10 for the Lynx, while Ashley Tull had seven
points and 10 rebounds.
In a back-and-forth game that would have been worthy
of a state final, North Linn edged ahead 40-37 late in the third quarter. But
Western Christian opened the final quarter with a bucket from Verbeek inside
and a 3-pointer from Erica Bousema. That put the
Wolfpack up 42-40 and they never trailed again.
Western Christian will play top-ranked Iowa City
Regina in a semifinal game at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Western finished second in
last year's state tournament after winning titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014.