-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Zoe Montag of Bishop Garrigan shoots around St. Albet Avah Underwood during 1A semi-Finals on Friday inside Wells Fargo Arena

DES MOINES — A tough shooting first half and some near-misses late kept the Bishop Garrigan girls from securing a spot in the Class 1A championship game here Friday afternoon.

Top-seed Council Bluffs St. Albert held on for a 59-51 victory in the first of two semifinals inside Wells Fargo Arena, advancing to face Newell-Fonda for the title on Saturday. The Mustangs knocked off defending champ North Linn, 48-38.

Down by as many as 13, the Golden Bears (24-4) rallied, cutting the deficit to three with just over two minutes to play on a layup by Emmi Bartolo. The Saintes (24-1) answered back, securing the win at the free throw line.

Graclyn Eastman led the way for Bishop Garrigan with 14 points and 18 rebounds, including 10 points in the third when they mounted a rally. Both Emmi Bartolo and Sacha Alesch finished with 10 points each while lone senior Zoe Montag had seven.

“We didn’t end where we wanted to but we are thankful that we got to play in the semifinals,” Eastman said. “St. Albert is a great team with good players. I’m very proud of our team for the amazing season we had and I’m overall just very thankful to be able to have these experiences.”

Council Bluffs St. Albert, who will be playing for its first state championship, was led by Maura Ryan’s 16 points and Avah Underwood, who had 12 with 16 rebounds. The Saintes were plus-10 on points off turnovers, finishing with 21 for the game.

Ryan had the biggest bucket of the fourth for St. Albert, answering the Garrigan rally with a layup out of a timeout, pushing the advantage back up to five.

Eastman took over in the third as the Golden Bears started the quarter on a 6-0 run. She picked up her 15th rebound and followed with a layup to cut the deficit to 35-30, bringing the Golden Bears even closer with another basket midway through the period.

“We have one senior on our team so we are returning four of our five starters so I don’t think Garrigan basketball is going anywhere,” Eastman said. “We are a very motivated team.”

In the opening 16 minutes of play, Bishop Garrigan shot just 6 of 26 from the field and missed nine of 12 shots from deep. Bartolo had eight and Eastman grabbed 12 rebounds during the first half.

The Golden Bears were back in the final four for the first time since finishing off back-to-back state championships behind current Iowa State University standout Audi Crooks in 2023. They lost last year in the state quarterfinals and have now qualified for the elite eight six years running.

COUNCIL BLUFFS ST. ALBERT 59, BISHOP GARRIGAN 51

Bishop Garrigan — Emmi Bartolo 4-12 0-0 10, Graclyn Eastman 7-11 0-0 14, Madelyn Tigges 2-3 1-3 5, Zoe Montag 3-9 0-0 7, Sacha Alesch 1-13 7-8 10, Alyssa Haugland 0-3 3-3 3, Carley Nielson 1-3 0-0 2, Ava Roethler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-54 11-14 51.

St. Albert — Ellie Monahan 4-5 2-2 13, Maura Ryan 6-9 2-3 16, Molly Wise 1-5 0-0 3, Payton Johnsen 2-6 0-0 4, Avah Underwood 3-12 6-10 12, Eleanor Coughlin 1-3 0-0 2, Kirsten Piskorski 0-0 0-0 0, Alexa Lenz 0-1 1-2 1, Lexie Pearce 1-2 0-0 2, Lexie Darrington 3-4 0-0 6. Totals: 21-47 11-17 59.

Quarter scores: St. Albert led 17-10, 32-22, 49-38. Three-point goals: Bishop Garrigan 4-21 (Bartolo 2-6, Montag 1-4, Alesch 1-8, Haugland 0-3), St. Albert 6-14 (Monahan 3-3, Ryan 2-3, Wise 1-4, Johnsen 0-1, Underwood 0-1, Lenz 0-1, Pearce 0-1). Total rebounds: Bishop Garrigan 32, St. Albert 33. Turnovers: Bishop Garrigan 14, St. Albert 14. Steals: Bishop Garrigan 9, St. Albert 8. Blocked shots: Bishop Garrigan 3, St. Albert 1. Assists: Bishop Garrigan 9, St. Albert 11. Team fouls: Bishop Garrigan 18, St. Albert 11. Fouled out: Alesch.