EMPORIA — The play drawn up in the timeout wasn’t exactly the one that unfolded — but for Linn, the result couldn’t have been better. 

Ella Oehmke let the shot fly anyway. 

Her 3-pointer with 1:34 remaining broke open a tight game and helped lift the Bulldogs to a 55-49 victory over Bucklin in the Class 1A Division II state semifinals Friday at White Auditorium in Emporia, sending Linn back to the state championship game for the second straight season. 

Linn will now get the rematch it has wanted all year — a showdown with Twin Valley League rival Hanover, which defeated the Bulldogs in last season’s state title game. 

“This feels awesome,” Linn junior Gretchen Bott said. “Our adrenaline is running pretty high right now, but we are going to take it slow tonight and come right back here ready to go tomorrow.” 

The Bulldogs set the tone early, jumping out quickly and building a double-digit advantage in the first half. Linn led 18-10 after the opening quarter and pushed the lead to as many as 10 before Bucklin settled in.  

Bucklin slowly chipped away, trimming the deficit to 29-23 at halftime before continuing its push after the break. The Red Aces eventually tied the game early in the second half, turning what once looked comfortable for Linn into a tense, possession-by-possession battle. 

“They have a whole team of players that can really put the ball in the hole and they play really great defense,” Bott said. “Our JV players and those players on the bench who don’t get to play very much give us so much pressure in practice and I think that is a big part of our game.” 

From that point on, neither team could pull away. 

Bucklin star Tristan Stout led the Red Aces with 17 points while Emmerson Kirk added 13 as Bucklin kept the pressure on late.  

But each time Bucklin threatened, Linn found an answer. 

The Bulldogs carried a narrow two-point lead late in the fourth quarter when coach Trevor Kuhlman called timeout to settle his team and draw up a play. 

The play didn’t quite unfold as planned. 

“I said no threes,” Kuhlman said with a laugh. “But then I said, if you are in rhythm and feel great about it, pull the trigger and be confident. Ella shot it, knocked it down and made me look smart.” 

Oehmke’s 3-pointer — her only shot attempt of the game — pushed the lead to five and shifted the momentum squarely back to Linn. 

From there, the Bulldogs calmly closed the door at the free-throw line to seal the victory. 

Balanced scoring once again proved to be Linn’s biggest strength. Bott led the way with 20 points while Josie Oehmke came off the bench to knock down four 3-pointers and finish with 13 points. Baileigh Peters added 10 points and six assists for the Bulldogs.  

“Gretchen stepped up huge,” Kuhlman said. “She did a lot of good things. She is that kind of person that when we need a play to happen I always know she will come through. Then we had other girls like Josie who came off the bench and hit four 3s and that was huge for us as well.” 

That kind of depth has been a defining trait of Linn’s season. 

“I don’t know that we necessarily have the best player,” Kuhlman said. “But we have eight or nine girls that all step up and provide us with big moments. If we can get it all to hit on one given night then something special might happen.” 

The early start Friday helped steady Linn in a big-game atmosphere. 

“Getting out to that fast start just calms the nerves,” Kuhlman said. “It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been in this situation, there are nerves when you are playing a big game like this in a big environment.” 

Bucklin never stopped pushing, but Linn’s composure late helped secure the win. 

“We knew Bucklin was going to make a run,” Kuhlman said. “They are a really good basketball team and really well coached. But I’m proud of our girls’ composure to value the basketball down the stretch and make them play our game.” 

Now the Bulldogs return to the stage they have been aiming for since the start of the season — the state championship. 

“Since the first practice of the season we have been striving to get back to the state championship game,” Bott said. “We are ready and we worked hard for it.” 

And this time, it comes with a familiar opponent waiting on the other side. 

“It’s an awesome feeling,” Kuhlman said. “Whenever you get to be one of the last two teams playing for a state championship, it’s a special thing. It’s climbing the mountain and hopefully we are not done climbing.” 

 

HANOVER 51, CENTRAL CHRISTIAN 31 — Hanover’s championship pedigree showed itself again — just not right away. 

After a sluggish opening half, the Wildcats flipped a switch and reminded everyone why they are chasing history. 

Hanover used a dominant second-half performance to pull away from Central Christian for a 51-31 victory in the Class 1A Division II state semifinals Saturday at White Auditorium in Emporia, moving the Wildcats one step closer to a fourth straight state championship. 

The Wildcats (25-3) held just a narrow 16-11 lead at halftime before erupting after the break, outscoring Central Christian 35-20 over the final two quarters to turn a tight game into a convincing win. Hanover shot a blistering 70 percent in the second half. 

Freshman Einslee Stallbaumer played a major role in the surge. Stallbaumer scored a team-high 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting while adding four rebounds and two assists, continuing to emerge as a key piece of Hanover’s lineup. 

“Einslee had a heck of a first round game too, so she has answered everything we have asked of her,” Hanover head coach Chris Beikmann said. “About six games into the season, she took over a starting role and has just gotten better every game and more confident and consistent. You can see out here that she is taking over a little bit.” 

Stallbaumer said settling down after the early nerves helped the Wildcats find their rhythm. 

“I think we played really good and it was good to see the girls come together and play well as a team,” Stallbaumer said. “At the beginning there are definitely nerves, but when the ball tips it is a lot better.” 

 

Hanover’s defense — a trademark of the program’s championship runs — also played a pivotal role. The Wildcats held Central Christian to just 11-of-39 shooting and forced 13 turnovers.  

The Cougars never led in the game and struggled to generate consistent offense against Hanover’s defensive pressure. 

“We had seven turnovers in the first half and eight of their 11 points were off of those turnovers,” Beikmann said. “Going into half, I just told the girls that if we just cut down the turnovers we are going to stop them from scoring easy ones.” 

Once Hanover cleaned up those mistakes and tightened its rebounding — Central Christian had seven offensive boards in the first half — the Wildcats took control. 

Junior Nora Heiman added 11 points off the bench and went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, while Drew Bruna finished with seven points. Trinity Schlabach added six points, and Gracie Bruna chipped in five as Hanover finished with 13 assists as a team.  

Central Christian was led by Jessa Losew with nine points and six rebounds, while Reese Swanson added eight and Avery Duft had six. 

For Hanover, the win means another trip to the state championship game — something the Wildcats have made a habit of in recent years. 

“They are all different, they are all enjoyable and they are all fun,” Beikmann said of the program’s championship runs. “Each team, yeah you get bits and pieces back, and you lose a few here and there to graduation, but it is always a different team and a different experience each year.” 

Many of the same Wildcats chasing another basketball crown also celebrated a state title in volleyball this past fall, and Stallbaumer hopes the success continues. 

“I want to keep the streak alive,” she said. “To win two state championships as a freshman would be just amazing.” 

Standing in the way will be a familiar opponent. 

Hanover will face Twin Valley League rival Linn in Saturday’s championship game — a rematch of last year’s state title contest and another chapter in one of the area’s top rivalries. 

“We will see a familiar face in Linn,” Beikmann said. “But it is nice to see different opponents and show what we can do.” 

CLASS 1A DIVISION II SEMIFINALS 

HANOVER 51, CENTRAL CHRISTIAN 31 

Central Christian… 7 … 4 … 13 … 7 … -- … 31 
Hanover… 8 … 8 … 19 … 16 … -- … 51 

Central Christian (25-3) – Duft 2-6 0-0 6, Swanson 2-5 4-4 8, Losew 4-10 1-2 9, Kauffman 1-10 0-0 3, Newcome 0-2 1-2 1, Loudenback 0-0 0-0 0, H. Newcome 1-4 0-0 2, Lang 1-1 0-0 2, Huff 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 11-39 6-8 31. 

Hanover (25-3) – G. Bruna 2-4 1-1 5, Stallbaumer 5-9 1-2 12, D. Bruna 3-9 0-0 7, Schlabach 2-3 2-2 6, Jueneman 1-1 2-4 4, Meyn 1-1 0-0 3, Cohorst 0-2 0-0 0, B. Bruna 0-0 0-0 0, L. Bruna 0-0 0-0 0, Minge 0-0 0-0 0, Scheele 1-2 0-0 3, Heiman 3-5 5-5 11. Totals 18-36 11-14 51. 

3-point goals – Central Christian 3-14 (Duft 2-6, Kauffman 1-7, H. Newcome 0-1); Hanover 4-12 (Stallbaumer 1-4, D. Bruna 1-2, Meyn 1-1, Scheele 1-2, G. Bruna 0-1, Cohorst 0-1, Heiman 0-1). Rebounds – Central Christian 20 (Losew 6); Hanover 27 (Jueneman 5). Assists – Central Christian 7 (A. Newcome 3, Kauffman 3); Hanover 13 (G. Bruna 3). Turnovers – Central Christian 13, Hanover 16. Total fouls – Central Christian 17, Hanover 12. Fouled out – None. 

LINN 55, BUCKLIN 49 

Bucklin… 10 … 13 … 13 … 13 … -- … 49 
Linn… 18 … 11 … 9 … 17 … -- … 55  

Bucklin (22-3) – Stout 7-14 2-2 17, Bowman 2-7 1-2 6, Evans 4-7 0-1 8, Durler 0-0 3-4 3, Kirk 4-16 5-5 13, C. Bowman 0-0 0-0 0, Hays 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 17-44 13-16 49.  

Linn (23-5) – Peters 2-10 4-4 10, Bott 7-10 5-8 20, Turk 2-4 2-6 6, E. Oehmke 1-1 1-2 4, Meier 0-2 0-0 0, J. Oehmke 4-8 1-2 13, Hiltgen 0-2 0-0 0, Rogge 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 16-37 15-24 55.  

3-point goals – Bucklin 2-13 (Stout 1-4, Bowman 1-3, Kirk 0-6); Linn 8-18 (Peters 2-6, Bott 1-2, E. Oehmke 1-1, J. Oehmke 4-7, Hiltgen 0-2). Rebounds – Bucklin 21 (Kirk 8); Linn 30 (Bott 7, Turk 7). Assists – Bucklin 4 (Kirk 2); Linn 13 (Bott 6). Turnovers – Bucklin 12, Linn 16. Total fouls – Bucklin 20, Linn 14. Fouled out – None.