Lady Mustangs advance to sectionals

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The Marion County R-II girls basketball team kept their dream season alive Saturday to advance into the Class 1 state playoffs.

The top-seeded Lady Mustangs (20-5) staved off a furious upset bid by LaPlata to win the Class 1, District title 53-48 on the Bulldogs’ home court Saturday.

Marion County advanced to the Class 1 State Sectional 6 at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Salisbury against Linn County (17-12).

The winner moved on to the quarterfinals to play the winner of Tuesday’s sectional between Leeton (22-2) and Pilot Grove (19-7).

The MSHSAA championships will be held in Springfield, March 11-12.

After building a 32-22 halftime lead, the Lady Mustangs found themselves in trouble as LaPlata fought back to tie the game at 38 with a 16-6 third-quarter run that featured three-pointers by four different players.

But the duo of Delaney Straus and Halle Keilholz made sure their season would continue by scoring a combined 14 points in the Lady Mustang’s 15-10 winning rally.

In fact, the pair scored all but one of the team’s points in the entire game.

Straus sank 11 field goals and six of eight three throws, and led all scorers with 28 points, while Keilholz hit six three-pointers and four of four charity shots and finished with 24 points.

Riley Donath was the team’s other scorer by sinking a fourth-quarter field goal.

It was the second time the two teams had met this season after Marion County won 56-53 at home Jan. 6.   

The Lady Mustangs advanced to the title game with a 44-32 win over fifth-seeded Brashear in the semifinals Tuesday.

Offense was stingy from the start as Marion County got out to an 11-3 first quarter lead and went into half time up 23-19.

A 14-8 run gave the Lady Mustangs some breathing room going into the final period when they out-scored Brashear 7-5.

The starters played most of the game with Straus leading the offense with 15 points, followed by Olivia Wood, 10, Riley Tristen Holt, six, Madison Stewart, four and Keilholz, three.

Donath came off the bench to score six.

2021-22 Lady 

Mustang 

Basketball Schedule

11/23 N.S.     W 57-52, 1-0

11/30 at Comm.W 49-44, 2-0

12/2 at Bev.W 60-22, 3-0

12/6-11 Mon. City Tourney

        12/7 M.T. W 51-38, 4-0

          12/9 Pal. L 48-49, 4-1

      12/10 High W 66-40, 5-1

12/14 at Hig. L 47-50, 5-2

12/16 Mad.    W 52-23, 6-2

1/4 at Brash. W 64-44, 7-2

1/6 LaPla.W 56-53, 8-2 1/7 Nov.     W 70-20, 9-2

1/10 at W-M W 53-30, 10-2

1/11 Mac.Co.W 55-22, 11-2

1/19 K.C. W 59-25, 12-2

1/21 S.C.     L 38-57, 12-3

1/25 at Atl.     W 50-44,13-3

1/28 at M.T. W 55-31, 14-3

1/31 S.C.    L 35-58, 14-4

2/1 Paris W 54-28,15-4

2/8 at Silex W 52-50, 16-4

2/7-12 Brashear Tourn.

  2/10 KirkJV W 59-37, 17-4

    2/12 Brash, W 61-29, 18-4

2/15 at Can.    L 50-58, 18-5

2/19-24 Districts

      /22 Brash W 44-32, 19-5

      2/24 LaP., W 53-48, 20-5

3/1 Sectionals

Linn Co. 6 p.m.