Newell-Fonda’S Quinn Sievers and Mareni Brabec celebrate at the girls state tournament in Des Moines.

DES MOINES — Quinn Sievers was in the Newell-Fonda crowd at the state basketball tournament a year ago, hoping to one day have the same opportunity as so many of the girls she’s looked up to through the years.

On Friday, it was the precocious freshman’s turn to shine.

Sievers scored a game-high 18 points – including the go-ahead three-pointer and two clutch free throws late – as the second-ranked Mustangs outlasted Council Bluffs St. Albert, 50-45, for a Class 1A semifinal victory at the Casey’s Center.

The youngest of three Sievers standout sisters at N-F, Quinn had been envisioning this very moment for years. She doesn’t start yet for head coach Dick Jungers, but continues to play a pivotal role off the bench in helping the Mustangs (24-2 overall) reach the championship round for the fourth consecutive season and an incredible eighth time in the last nine years.

“If you told me (Sievers would be the leading scorer in a state semifinal game) a year ago, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” Sievers admitted. “Growing up in the N-F system, playing in the state championship is something you always dream about.

“It’s really special, and I’m just grateful to be able to help my team and be in this moment with them.”

The prospect of a revenge win at state for the Mustangs – who fell 61-58 in double overtime to St. Albert in the 1A finals here last March – looked slim early, when the Saintes (22-4) scored the first 12 points of the contest. Newell-Fonda responded with its vintage championship mettle, though, delivering a 17-0 counter-punch to steal the momentum back.

“It felt like a heavyweight boxing match,” said Jungers, whose program is seeking its fourth title since 2015. “It was that way when we played (St. Albert) here (in 2025), and again (in January, when the Mustangs exacted revenge with a 51-47 road victory). To face them three times in a calendar year was really something, because they were all incredible games and both teams left it all on the court.

“Our kids stepped up, especially on the defensive end. To hold them to 15 points in the second half was huge. Once we started taking care of the ball more and limiting our mistakes, we were able to find our footing. They could’ve knocked us out early (at 12-0), but we didn’t panic.”

Trailing 17-12, the Saintes went on another run – this time, 16-5 – and eventually held a 30-26 advantage at the intermission. Neither side would be up or down by more than a single possession the rest of the way until the very end.

Down 44-43 with 1:50 left in regulation, Sievers drilled a clutch triple from the right side of the court. Sievers then grabbed a pair of rebounds – one defensive, one offensive – with Newell-Fonda protecting a one-point lead in the final minute. She added eight total rebounds to her statline.

Fouled with 35 seconds left, Sievers calmly stepped to the free throw line and swished two foul shots to make it 48-45. Rylee Hogrefe did the same to end it with one second remaining for the final Mustang points.

St. Albert, which scored 16 points less than its season average, managed only three points in the final 5:40 of regulation.

“I’m really proud of our team’s defensive effort – especially at the end of the game,” Sievers said. “We locked in and trusted each other, and everyone did their job. Holding them to no field goals in the last two minutes and only three points in the final five-plus shows how hard everyone was working and how much we wanted it.

“Defense wins games, and (on Friday), that really showed.”

Jungers admitted “I thought we were a little timid” in the first half, when the Saintes applied some of N-F’s own trademark full-court pressure to force the Mustangs into double-digit turnovers.

“We talked at halftime about what makes us most successful,” Jungers said. “We were settling at times for mediocre shots and not getting enough post touches.

“They were getting after us defensively, and we just needed to settle down and make better decisions. Fortunately, our defense was really good throughout.”

Sophomore Ellie Sievers added 11 points and five steals for N-F. Avah Underwood paced St. Albert with 16 points.

The Mustangs held the Saintes to 32 percent shooting and only one three-point basket in 17 attempts. Newell-Fonda found a way to neutralize a 43-29 St. Albert advantage on the glass.

“I definitely felt more calm and confident (for the semis),” Sievers said. “Having a game under my belt (in Des Moines) helped a lot because I knew what to expect with the atmosphere and everything.

“It still feels big, but once the game starts, you just focus on playing your game and trusting your teammates.”

Sievers and her teammates never let the tense moments get to them.

“It’s definitely tough mentally when the game is that close, but we just focus on one play at a time,” Sievers said. “We trust each other and try not to let the moment get too big.

“We’ve been in tough situations before, so we just stay composed, communicate, and keep playing hard until the final buzzer.”

Newell-Fonda, which is now 171-16 the last seven seasons combined, faces another familiar foe in Bishop Garrigan on Saturday at 7 p.m. for the 1A championship. This will be the fourth title-game meeting between the Mustangs and Golden Bears since 2020.

“We’re just fortunate to still be playing and have another shot,” Jungers said. “Garrigan is really good. It’s going to take everything we have. But we’ll be ready.”

NEWELL-FONDA 50, COUNCIL BLUFFS ST. ALBERT 45

Newell-Fonda – Ellie Sievers 3-12 4-6 11, Jocee Walsh 2-4 2-4 6, Mareni Brabec 1-3 2-3 4, Rylee Hogrefe 0-0 3-4 3, Ava Vie 0-6 0-0 0, Quinn Sievers 6-13 3-3 18, Page Erickson 2-4 0-0 6, Ella Roberts 0-1 2-2 2, Danika Meyer 0-1 0-0 0, Camryn Puhrmann 0-2 0-0 0, Madelyn Vanderhoff 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 14-46 16-22 50.

St. Albert – Avah Underwood 6-11 4-4 16, Brooklynn Rutledge 4-12 0-0 8, Eleanor Coughlin 2-6 1-2 5, Molly Wise 2-9 0-0 4, Sophia Denton 2-5 0-0 4, Lexie Pearce 2-9 0-0 5, Maeve Ryan 0-4 2-4 2, Lexie Darrington 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 18-57 8-12 45.

Quarter scores: N-F led 17-12; St. Albert led 30-26; N-F led 39-38. Three-point goals: N-F 6-22 (Q. Sievers 3-7, Erickson 2-4, E. Sievers 1-4, Meyer 0-1, Purhmann 0-2, Vie 0-4); St. Albert 1-17 (Pearce 1-7, Wise 0-5, Ryan 0-3, Rutledge 0-1, Underwood 0-1). Turnovers: N-F 14, St. Albert 18. Rebounds: N-F 29, St. Albert 43. Fouls: N-F 16, St. Albert 18. Steals: N-F 12, St. Albert 11.