DES MOINES, IOWA (KCAU) – In a rematch of the Class 1A State semifinal from a year ago, 6-seeded Remsen St. Mary’s took a double-digit lead into halftime but 2-seeded North Linn continued to chip away at the deficit, defeating the Hawks 52-50 to end their season on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

The Hawks looked poised for an upset early in the first half, taking a 17-6 lead after one quarter. Remsen St. Mary’s picking up some more momentum in the second quarter, when Jaxon Bunkers found Cael Ortmann hit one of the Hawks five three-pointers in the half, holding a 12-point lead at the break. Ortmann tied for a team-high 12 points with Collin Homan, who added a double-double performance.

But the Lynx came out on fire after the break. Ty Pflughaupt would sink one of the team’s 11 three-pointers, turning it up a notch in the fourth quarter. Riding an 18-5 run to battle back from down 17 points, Breckyn Betenbender hit a three-pointer with 30 seconds left to complete the comeback. A heartbreaking loss for the Hawks, but a lot to be said for its senior class who qualified for State all four years.

“The boys left it all out there and I’m happy, I’m proud of them,” Remsen St. Mary’s co-head coach Justin Ruden said. “We lost to a really good team in North Linn and they’re a good group of guys and good group of coaches over there too. So, I feel good for them. But also, it hurts. It might take a little while. But, you’ve got to hold your head high. At least we lost down here at the Well.”

Remsen St. Mary’s finishes the season with a 23-3 overall record in its seventh straight trip to State.