TY McKINNEY of Webster City reacts to a Class 3A substate semifinal win over ADM on Thursday night in the Jefferson Gym.

It’s been a while since the Webster City boys’ basketball team has been on the direct path toward the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A Basketball Tournament, not having been to a substate final since Feb. 29, 2016.

Seven years later, the Lynx have returned to the threshold between going to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines or going home.

In the Class 3A-Substate 1 semifinals, held last Thursday evening at the historic Jefferson Gymnasium, the Lynx came out strong out of the gate before having to pull away from ADM with a 57-52 final score.

Tied at 50-50 with 2:34 left in the game, the Lynx relied on senior Ty McKinney and junior Briar Klaver to provide that final push needed for the Lynx to advance to their first substate final since the 2015-2016 campaign.

“We knew this game would be a game of scoring runs,” said Brett Ratcliff, WCHS head boys’ basketball coach. “ADM is a very good team. Whenever you get this deep into the postseason, every team is good and very well coached. This game was never going to be a blowout. It was going to be back-and-forth the entire time. “

The meeting between old teammates in Ratcliff and ADM head coach Trevor Mickelson added another layer to the matchup, which tilted in favor of the Lynx. Both Ratcliff and Mickelson were also part of Webster City’s run to the state tournament in 2005.

McKinney and Klaver spearheaded Webster City’s efforts with 19 points each. Klaver pulled down nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block, while McKinney delivered six boards, four assists and three steals.

“I’m proud of how our guys responded, and I’m proud of how they didn’t give up,” Ratcliff said of the Lynx’s overall performance. “They kept battling, and made enough plays in the end to come away with a win.”

ADM finished with a record of 11-12 overall.

The Lynx (18-3) will now make a short trip west to face Bishop Heelan in the substate finals, set for 7 p.m. tonight at the Dodger gym on the campus of Fort Dodge Senior High. The Crusaders (17-6) defeated Carroll, 61-51, last Thursday at the O’Gorman Fieldhouse in Sioux City.

“It’s going to be a tough battle,” Ratcliff said of the upcoming matchup. “We have to be ready to go, right from the start. We need to execute offensively and defensively.

“Bishop Heelan has some good players and they’re well coached. It’ll be a good challenge for us.”

The winner of tonight’s contest will advance to the Class 3A State Quarterfinals, slated for Tuesday, March 7 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

From the beginning, the Lynx led the Tigers, even owning a seven-point lead at halftime at 29-22. Webster City continued to keep ADM at bay after the break, holding onto an eight-point advantage at 43-35.

The Tigers mounted a comeback, outpacing Webster City 15-7 before tying the contest up at 50-50 with two and a half minutes remaining. The Lynx withstood the rally, however, going on a final 7-2 run to end ADM’s winter campaign.

Along with McKinney and Klaver, junior Braden Doering contributed with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists. Senior Jaime Grossoehme chipped in with six points, five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block.

Junior Jack Larson recorded two points and a steal against the Tigers, and senior Jayce Neuroth hauled in three rebounds and two assists. Juniors Kaleb White and Trevyn Lyons also had court time against ADM.