(Des Moines) Nodaway Valley is moving on to a Class 2A state semifinal thanks to a 53-47 win over North Linn on Tuesday night. The 4th rated Wolverines improve to 24-0 on the season.
Nodaway Valley began the game by hitting four of their first six three-pointers and darted in front by as many as fifteen early in the second quarter. Lindsey Davis and Maddax DeVault were undeterred by the big stage of Wells Fargo Arena and combined for 37 of Nodaway Valley’s 53 points. The duo went 6/12 from beyond the arc and Davis sank 9/10 free-throws on her way to a 20 point outing. The freshman also posted four steals.
Nodaway Valley led 20-7 after one quarter, but after scoring the first bucket of the second quarter they saw the defending 2A champ Lynx close the first half on a 15-6 stretch. The Wolverines settled for a 28-22 halftime advantage and would rarely see North Linn inch any closer after the break.
An 11-9 Nodaway Valley advantage in the third quarter put the Wolverines up 39-31 going into the 4th. #5 North Linn, which ends their season at 21-3, made up a little bit of ground on the comeback trail early in the fourth. The Lynx closed within 41-36 with just over 5:00 remaining, but Nodaway Valley called time out and reeled off six straight to stretch the edge back to double figures.
In addition to 20 points from Davis and 17 for DeVault, Corinne Bond posted 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 6 steals. She had a stretch of foul trouble in the second half and was the only starter that didn’t see all 32 minutes of action. Annika Nelson held her own in seven minutes off the bench. Lexi Shike posted 7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals while Macy Kuhns had 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
North Linn had 12 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 blocks from senior Ellie Ware plus 16 points for freshman Kamryn Kurt. The Lynx were just 2/15 from 3-point range. Nodaway Valley faces #1 ranked and fellow unbeaten Maquoketa Valley in a 2A semifinal game on Friday at 10:00 a.m.
