All in: Spartans endure Knights challenge, return to semis

By: 
Jake Ryder

DES MOINES – Unity Christian put together impressive scoring runs to start every quarter of Tuesday's state quarterfinal game against top-seeded Grundy Center.
 
Can't get rid of the Spartan girls that easy, though.
 
Grundy Center answered Unity Christian's final attempt to silence the undefeated Spartans with a roar and closed out a 49-45 victory in the Class 2A quarterfinals at Wells Fargo Arena.
 
Next up for the Spartans (23-0) is a rematch of last year's state championship game, but this time in the state semifinals: Cascade will play Grundy Center at 10 a.m. on Friday. Cascade defeated Dike-New Hartford 52-43 on Tuesday night.
 
The upset-minded Knights (19-6), having already dispatched fourth-ranked Cherokee to reach Des Moines, popped off nine unanswered points to start the game, scored the first six points of the second quarter, outscored the Spartans 7-2 to start the third quarter, and again went on a 9-0 run in the final frame.
 
But that just wasn't going to cut it against a Grundy Center team determined to fight for their dreams.
 
"This team will not say die," Grundy Center head coach Matt Lindeman said. "We're going to fight to the end and we were fortunate to make enough plays at the end against a really good Unity Christian team."
 
With 3:06 left in the game, Lindeman called a timeout after a Spartan turnover and Grundy Center facing a 43-38 deficit.
 
"We upped our pressure defense," Lindeman said. "When we get after it a little more defensively it can help our offense for whatever reason. We moved the ball better."
 
The ensuing 9-0 run featured points scored by four different players, helped by two turnovers and 0-for-2 free-throw shooting by the Knights. Brooke Flater scored a bucket, Hailey Wallis drained an NBA-length 3-pointer, Sydney Mathews finished off a fast-break lay-up off a turnover and Cora Saak stopped and popped a jumper.
 
After the Knights closed back within two, 47-45, Wallis and Flater added a free throw each on back-to-back possessions to help seal the deal.
 
The Spartans shot just 34.6 percent from the floor on Tuesday but forced 19 Unity Christian turnovers and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds.
 
"There are so many other ways for us to get back in the game," Saak said. "We had some older players come back to talk to us last night, and they talked about keeping your heart, determination and confidence, because that's something the other team can't take away from you. We focused on keeping our heads in the game."
 
Grundy Center knows a thing or two about outlasting teams at the state tournament too after some of the heartstoppers they played last winter.
 
"I think our experience of playing down here helped us stay calm and to know what we do best," Willis said.
 
Eight Spartans scored in Tuesday's game, led by Willis and Reegan Zinkula with nine points each. Wallis had eight points, Saak scored seven points, McMartin and Flater 6 points each and Lainy Thoren and Sydney Mathews with two points each.
 
"This was a great team win," Wallis said. "There was no sense of panic, I didn't feel like we were ever down, it was just something we had to overcome. ... A sense of urgency kicked in, 'it's go time,' and we wanted this so bad and worked so hard for this."
 
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Unity Christian

13

7

14

11

45

Grundy Center

13

10

15

11

49

UC–Justine Malenke 3-10 0-0 8, Brooke Zevenbergen 2-4 0-0 4, Corrina Timmermans 2-8 2-5 6, Jori Bronner 4-7 5-8 13, Janie Schoonhoven 6-12 0-1 12, Tyra Hulstein 1-2 0-0 2, Danielle Kroeze 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-44 7-14 45.
 
GC–Hailey Wallis 3-12 1-2 8, Maddie McMartin 2-5 0-0 6, Sydney Mathews 1-2 0-0 2, Kylie Willis 4-12 0-1 9, Brooke Flater 2-6 2-4 6, Reegan Zinkula 3-4 0-0 9, Sarah Lindeman 0-3 0-0 0, Cora Saak 2-6 2-2 7, Lainy Thoren 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 18-52 5-9 49.
 
3-pointers:UC 2-14 (Malenke 2-9, Timmermans 0-3, Hulstein 0-1, Kroeze 0-1); GC 8-27 (Zinkula 3-4, McMartin 2-5, Saak 1-4, Willis 1-2, Wallis 1-7; Mathews 0-1; Thoren 0-1; Lindeman 0-3). Rebounds: UC 33 (Schoonhoven 15); GC 34 (Wallis 10, Flater 7, Saak 4, Willis 3, Thoren 2, McMartin 2, Mathews 2, Zinkula, TEAM 3). Assists: UC 12 (Timmermans 6); GC 11 (Saak 3). Steals: UC 6 (Timmermans 3); GC 12 (Wallis 3, Mathews 3, Flater 3, McMartin, Zinkula, Saak). Fouls: UC 13, GC 13.

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