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TASK TOO TALL

BOONE – Height is the ultimate weapon on the basketball court.

Why? Because it’s something that can’t be taught.

Boone has an abundance of height and that advantage was noticeable on every possession of its 55-31 victory over Webster City last night in a Class 4A Region 6 quarterfinal-round contest.

The Toreadors (15-7) gobbled up 25 offensive rebounds and scored 31 second chance points, as they advanced to Friday’s regional semifinal in Huxley against third-ranked Ballard (19-2). WCHS (4-18) collected just 15 rebounds … total.

“Even when our girls closed out it seemed like we still weren’t getting the rebounds,” WCHS head coach Nicole Muhlenbruch said. “If they don’t get the rebound they’re still really good at tipping the ball out to their outside girls.”

Boone’s trio of towers – 6-foot-2 Mariah McPartland, 6-2 Claire Sandvig and 6-0 Serena Sandvig – combined to score 29 points. Serena Sandvig led the way with 12, and McPartland was next with 11.

Lynne Chalfant, a senior, led the Lynx in her final prep game. She canned a pair of 3-pointers and scored a team-best 10 points. She also yanked down five rebounds and came up with five steals.

“Lynne had a heck of a game. She really did,” Muhlenbruch said.

Chelsey Wagoner also cashed in on a pair of 3s and finished with seven points. Mikaleh McCoy, another senior, added four points and four boards.

Back-to-back 3s from Wagoner and Chalfant put WCHS in front, 16-15, with 6:16 remaining in the second quarter. But Boone reeled off 14 of the final 17 points of the half to take a 29-19 advantage into the intermission.

“In that first half my girls really fought and really did well,” Muhlenbruch said. “The girls gave a good effort.”

Points were hard to come by for the Lynx after the break. Boone went on its second 11-0 spurt before Chalfant put a stop to it with a steal and bucket. The Toreadors outscored WCHS 13-3 in the third period and owned a 20-point cushion, 42-22, with just 8 minutes to go.

WCHS got no closer the remainder of the way.

Utilizing more of a dribble-drive offense, the Lynx guards continually tested the paint, but time and time again had their shots swatted. WCHS also turned the ball over 28 times – 16 of them came in the first half – and they limited the underdog’s opportunities to put points on the scoreboard.

“If we could have kept our turnovers more manageable, maybe we could have (closed the deficit),” Muhlenbruch said. “And I’ve noticed this year that if we drive into the lane and don’t get the call, we get frustrated and maybe our confidence slips away.”

It didn’t help that starting guard Gabbi Hoversten, a junior, played with the stomach flu. Noticeably weakened, she was held without a field goal and finished with just one point.

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