-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Newell-Fonda celebrate after beating Saint Ansgar during 1A quarterfinals on Wednesday inside Casey's Center in Des Moines

DES MOINES — Make it 13 straight.

If you are a Class 1A state qualifier, when the brackets come out you better hope that you are not paired with Newell-Fonda.

The second-seeded Mustangs 23-2) have now won 13 consecutive quarterfinal games and are 18-4 overall in school history in the first round.

“This team means so much and we’ve all grown so much,” said sophomore Ellie Sievers. “This team is so special because we all can grow and find the player we need to at different times.

“Another key feature to great success is our seniors who can motivate and calm down at the perfect time.”

They’re in their ninth straight state tournament and have reached seven of the last eight championship games, last winning the state championship in 2021.

The Mustangs used their pesky defense and strong shooting (45.6) from the field to turn back Saint Ansgar (20-5), 77-58 and advanced to their 13th semifinal contest in the past 14 years.

“This team is so special to all of us because the bond we all have with each other is unbreakable,” said junior Rylee Hogrefe. “We love to come in and see each other day in and day out.

“It all starts with our seniors, they are by far the glue. They have experience in all aspects of this game, and help us youngsters settle in and refocus on what we know to do.”

Newell-Fonda held a slim 38-30 lead at the half, but in the second half, the defensive pressure picked up.

“We mixed up our press looks which led to some transition opportunities,” said Newell-Fonda head coach Dick Jungers. “They were jumping into some of the passing lanes, but we were able to adjust.”

The Mustangs forced 32 Saint Ansgar turnovers, which turned into 36 points off of the mistakes.

Newell-Fonda also had 21 steals, which spearheaded the transition offense.

“The big thing is we had good ball movement,” Jungers said. “Our girls look for the extra pass and are good at seeing what is there.

“We have a motion system where kids can take shots with open looks, or keep the ball moving as they are cutting through the lanes.”

Newell-Fonda controlled every aspect of the game, including a sparkling night from the field, going 31-for-68 from the floor (45 percent), including five three-pointers.

It was a balanced scoring attack in a system that allows anyone with an open look to take a shot.

Ellie Sievers led the Mustangs with 18 points, including two triples and was perfect at the nine in nine tries.

“I think that what gave our team the most motivation was just knowing we had to start out strong,” Ellie Sievers said. “We knew that some of our shots weren’t falling, so instead we started to ball reverse and penetrate to find better looks.”

Sievers had four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“Ellie and Ryleee stepped up and attacked the defense,” Jungers said. “They are really fun to watch and they see what is out there.”

Freshman Quinn Sievers came off the bench to score 17 points, she had three rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals.

“This was a great way to start our state trail this season,” said Quinn Sievers. “We knew coming into the second half that we had to apply even more pressure on the opponent to create more opportunities for our team to create more success.

“Our team is known for giving so much support, energy, and bringing each other up in tight or exciting situations. That is how we are able to finish our games each and every night.”

The Mustangs had 28 points off the bench and Quinn was the guiding force behind the effort.

“Quinn did a great job of getting in the middle on defense,” Jungers said. “She does a good job and puts pressure on defensively.”

Hogrefe had 12 points, with four steals.

“Another thing is for sure our community,” Hogrefe said. “We couldn’t play “Mustang Basketball” without the unconditional support from our fans. It means the world to keep rolling with this group.

“We love to play this game with each other. We are ready to keep grinding even just the few days and get that final goal, bring that big trophy home.”

Jocee Walsh had eight rebounds, three assists and five steals with six points.

Jacey Johnston led the Saints with 28 points on 8-for-16 shooting. She was 10 of 12 from the line.

Lindsay Kruse had 13 points and Quinn Osgood added 11.

The second-seeded Mustangs are back in action on Friday when they face third-seed Council Bluffs St. Albert (22-3), who was a 45-37 winner over Exira-EHK. The contest will be at 3:15 p.m. on Friday.

NEWELL-FONDA 77, SAINT ANSGAR 58

Saint Ansgar — Jacey Johnston 8-16 10-12 28, AVa Felk 0-6 0-0 0, Makenna Norby 0-1 2-2 2, Quinn Osgood 4-10 0-0 11, Lindsay Kruse 4-6 5-8 13, Alexis Frein 2-2 0-0 4. Totals: 18-41 17-22 58.

Newell-Fonda — Ellie Sievers 6-18 4-4 18, Mareni Brabec 4-8 0-0 8, Rylee Hogrefe 5-6 1-1 12, Ava Vie 2-6 0-0 5, Jocee Walsh 2-7 2-8 6, Quinn Sievers 7-16 2-2 17, Paige Erickson 0-0 0-0 0, Camryn Puhrmann 1-1 0-0 2, Ella Roberts 4-6 1-2 9. Totals: 31-68 10-17 77.

Quarter scores: NF led 21-18, 38-30, 55-39. Three-point goals — Saint Ansgar 5-19 (Johnston 2-6, Falk 0-6, Norby 0-1, Osgood 3-6); Newell-Fonda 5-20 (E. Sievers 2-8, Brabec 0-2, Hogrefe 1-1, Vie 1-4, Q. Sievers 1-5); Total rebounds: Saint Ansgar 36, Newell-Fonda 29; Assists: SA 8, NF 12; Steals: SA 5, NF 21; Turnovers: SA 32, NF 9; Total fouls: SA 16, NF 20.