-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Newell-Fonda Kinzee Hinders (left) and Anna Mercer celebrate with their teammates after beating North Linn during 1A semi-finals on Friday inside Wells Fargo Arena

DES MOINES — Just when you think you have Newell-Fonda down for the count, the Mustangs find a way to answer the bell.

Freshman Ellie Sievers delivered in the biggest way possible here Friday, knocking down two key 3-pointers to spark a thrilling comeback for the Mustangs, who eliminated defending Class 1A state champion North Linn here Friday, 48-38.

With the win, Newell-Fonda (22-4 overall) avenged a loss last year in the finals to the Lynx and punched their own ticket back there for the third consecutive season where they will face top-ranked Council Bluffs St. Albert inside Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Down by as many as 11 early on, the Mustangs outscored North Linn over the final eight minutes, 14-2, Sievers and senior Kinzee Hinders accounted for all 14 points.

“I can’t wait to play in another state title game,” Hinders said. “We will just play Mustang basketball for 32 minutes and hope the outcome is different than the past two years.”

Hinders, who has signed with Briar Cliff University, gave Newell-Fonda a 37-36 lead 13 seconds into the final quarter with a 3-pointer while it was the first triple by Sievers at 2:21 that made it a 42-38 advantage.

Just over a minute later, Sievers buried another triple, putting the Mustangs in control up by seven with 67 seconds to play and on their way to a seventh appearance in the finals since 2018.

“We just talked about our press and how we needed to stay with our girl if they are not dribbling,” Hinders said of the approach entering the fourth. “We needed to rebound more and not let them get any second-shot opportunities.

“It was awesome and Ellie hit some amazing 3-pointers. Holding them to two points in the fourth helped us out a lot.”

Hinders finished with 22 points while Sievers had 12 with six rebounds, two steals and two assists. Newell-Fonda racked up 10 steals in the game and scored 17 points off 17 North Linn turnovers.

The Mustangs were also plus-18 in bench points and committed just eight turnovers as a team. After making just 2 of 11 from long-range in the first half, they finished 5-for-11 over the final 16 minutes.

“Our kids gave such tremendous effort on the defensive effort,” Newell-Fonda head coach Dick Jungers said. “We made it very tough for them and I felt like our girls did a great job.

“I think the big thing is to keep doing what Newell-Fonda does and see what happens.”

Jocee Walsh added six points with five blocked shots, four steals, four rebounds and two assists while Ava Vie drained two 3-pointers.

For the Lynx, Emilee Beuter had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Molly Boge added 13. North Linn did not score another point after taking a 38-37 lead with 6:23 left to play.

Newell-Fonda will be playing for its fifth state title and is in the championship game for a record 13th time. They will also get the opportunity to avenge one of their four regular season defeats to Council Bluffs St. Albert, who knocked them off in December, 63-56.

NEWELL-FONDA 48, NORTH LINN 38

Newell-Fonda — Jaicee Vanderhoff 0-1 0-0 0, Mareni Brabec 0-4 2-2 2, Anna Mercer 0-2 0-0 0, Kinzee Hinders 7-14 5-6 22, Jocee Walsh 3-6 0-0 6, Ellie Sievers 4-13 2-6 12, Camryn Puhrmann 0-0 0-0 0, Rylee Hogrefe 0-4 0-0 0, Ava Vie 2-5 0-0 6. Totals: 16-49 9-14 48.

North Linn — Allie Haugenbury 0-3 2-2 2, Mckenzie Bridgewater 0-6 2-2 2, Molly Boge 5-14 0-2 13, Carly Ries 2-6 0-0 6, Emilee Beuter 7-11 1-2 15, Ava Hoover 0-0 0-0 0, Samantha West 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 14-41 5-8 38.

Quarter scores: North Linn led 17-9, 25-22, 36-34. Three-point goals: Newell-Fonda 7-22 (Vanderhoff 0-1, Brabec 0-2, Hinders 3-5, Walsh 0-1, Sievers 2-5, Hogrefe 0-3, Vie 2-5), North Linn 5-12 (Bridgewater 0-1, Boge 3-6, Ries 2-5). Total rebounds: Newell-Fonda 28, North Linn 35. Turnovers: Newell-Fonda 8, North Linn 17. Steals: Newell-Fonda 10, North Linn 7. Blocked shots: Newell-Fonda 7, North Linn 0. Assists: Newell-Fonda 9, North Linn 8. Team fouls: Newell-Fonda 14, North Linn 14.