Unity Christian finished an unbeaten season with a convincingwin in the Class 2A title game Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Kassidy De Jong scored 29 points and top-ranked Unity Christian dominated from the start in beating #3 North Linn 69-40.
Anna Kiel added 15 points and eight rebounds and Chanda Zomermaand scored 13 for the top-ranked Knights (27-0), who won their first state title in girl’s basketball after finishing as the Class 3A runners-up last year. North Linn (25-2) had upset three-time defending champion Western Christian overtime in the semifinals, but the Lynx couldn’t keep up with a Unity Christian team that hit from both inside and outside. As a team the Knights hit eight 3-pointers, shot 52 percent from the field overall and showed off all facets of its game. The Knights scored off steals, in transition and on putbacks as well.
Zomermaand knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half and the Knights finished 8-for-17 from long range. Drake University recruit and all-tournament captain Nicole Miller scored North Linn’s first 14 points and finished with 22. Maddie Boer and Morgan Boer each scored six points for the Lynx, who reached the championship game for the first time. Miller did what she could to try to keep North Linn in it, scoring consistently on drives to the basket and hitting three 3-pointers. It just wasn’t enough.
Down 38-24 at halftime, North Linn managed to cut the lead to 47-34 on Katie Kurt’s 3-pointer. But the Lynx got no closer. Unity Christian went inside to Kiel for a basket and the Knights were off and running again, putting together a 14-1 run that stretched the lead to 61-35 and ended any North Linn hopes of a comeback. Zomermaand finished with 12 3-pointers in the tournament to match the record that Springville’s Sarah Matus set in 1A play. The previous record had been 11.
Zomermaand and DeJong were both named to the All-Tournament Team in 2A along with Jaime Gesink of Western Christian.
