For 16 minutes last night, the Webster City senior listened to constant barking from the Storm Lake sideline about its need not to guard her.

Back off. Stay away. Those kinds of things. And it was every single time Woodle touched the ball.

“Did I take that as offensive? Yeah, I did,” Woodle said. “Nobody wants to be underestimated and they underestimated me, so I took it to them in the second half.”

Yes you did, Zoey.

WCHS freshman Kelly Stoakes saves the ball before it goes out of bounds against Storm Lake last night. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Woodle asserted her will following the intermission and led WCHS back from a four-point deficit to a five-point victory over the Tornadoes, 51-46, in a Class 4A Region 1 quarterfinal.

It was Woodle’s final game inside the WCHS gymnasium and tears were shed afterwards. Some were of sadness for the end of her journey in front of the supportive crowd, but there were plenty of tears of happiness as well as she embraced head coach Nicole Muhlenbruch.

“She’s such a smart girl,” Muhlenbruch said of Woodle. “She’s been so coachable and just willing to do whatever it takes for the team. And do you know what that (performance) says? It says to everybody to go ahead and not guard me, I’ll take it to you.”

Woodle poured in a career-high 16 points, 13 of them coming in the second half. Three of her team-high five assists and both of her steals also came after the break.

“I just saw what was there and I took it,” Woodle said. “There was a lot of open space.”

WCHS junior forward Adalie Schwandt (44) rises for a jump shot above Storm Lake’s Rachel Bozonie (24) and Skylar Cole (2) during the second half last night. Schwandt scored 12 points in the Lynx 51-46 victory over the Tornadoes in the Class 4A Region 1 quarterfinal. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Storm Lake (3-18) opted to run a box-and-one defense on Lynx junior sharpshooter Taylor McKinney and that left holes to exploit. Woodle did just that on drives straight to the bucket.

Woodle scored four points during a critical 8-0 WCHS run after Storm Lake had opened up a 28-21 lead early in the third quarter.

And then there was the sequence early in the fourth in which Woodle yanked down three consecutive offensive rebounds and then dished to an open Grace Hoversten for an uncontested bucket and 41-37 WCHS advantage.

The Lynx (8-13) expanded their advantage to 45-39 on an Adalie Schwandt basket from the paint with 2:30 remaining.

With the game on the line, Woodle again stepped into the spotlight. She buried four straight free throws in the final eight seconds to put Storm Lake away for good.

Lynx sophomore Leah Kasch celebrates from the sideline during the second half last night. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“What I like best is she went 6 of 7 from the free throw line,” Muhlenbruch said of Woodle.

Schwandt pitched in 12 points and eight rebounds and McKinney still managed to drop in 10 points despite being guarded from baseline to baseline by the Tornadoes’ Sam Louwagie. McKinney also collected three steals.

Kelly Stoakes rained in a pair of 3-pointers for six points in the win. Hoversten finished with five points and eight boards.

Rachel Bozonie led Storm Lake with 16 points.

The Tornadoes led by as many as seven points on three occasions in the first half and took a 25-21 lead into halftime.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WCHS advanced to Saturday’s regional semifinal in Sioux City against eighth-ranked Heelan at 7 p.m.

Webster City 51, Storm Lake 46

Class 4A Region 1 Quarterfinal

Wednesday at Webster City

Storm Lake (3-18) — Holly Dierenfield 3 2-3 11, Skylar Cole 5 1-4 12, Sam Louwagie 0 0-0 0, Mary Yanda 1 2-4 4, Anny Mulgae 0 0-0 0, Jessica Slight 1 1-1 3, Rachel Bozonie 7 2-2 16. Totals: 17 8-14 46.

Webster City (8-13) — Tatum Goings 0 0-0 0, Taylor McKinney 4 2-4 10, Atlanta Hopp 1 0-0 2, Zoey Woodle 5 6-7 16, Jenna Miller 0 0-0 0, Kelly Stoakes 2 0-0 6, Grace Hoversten 2 0-1 5, Adalie Schwandt 5 2-5 12. Totals: 19 10-17 51.

Storm Lake 12 13 8 13 — 46

Webster City 10 11 13 17 — 51

3-point field goals — SL 4 (Dierenfield 3, Cole); WC 3 (Stoakes 2, Hoversten). Rebounds — WC 24 (Hoversten 8, Schwandt 8). Steals — WC 8 (McKinney 3, Woodle 2). Assists — WC 9 (Woodle 5). Turnovers — WC 8. Team fouls — SL 17, WC 12.