DES MOINES- The Glenwood Rams came face to face with something in the Iowa Class 4A semifinals they hadn't seen since Feb. 1st—a double digit deficit at the half.

After a lengthy, triple-overtime match-up in the game prior, Glenwood and Bishop Heelan squared off to punch the final ticket for the Iowa Class 4A Championship.

With the Ballard Bombers, the Class 4A defending champs, dropping down to Class 3A and the overall one-seed DC Grimes losing in triple-overtime in the first semifinal game, the two-seeded Glenwood Rams became the favorite to win the championship.

Right from the tip-off, Glenwood saw a 1-3-1 zone from the Crusaders. The Rams saw the same zone earlier in the week against Bondurant-Farrar. This time, however, the Rams weren't able to break the zone as quick. 

The first quarter was back and forth, with both teams shifting from fast-paced offenses, to slow tempos at times. Bishop Heelan sophomore guard Maddie Dempke drove into the lane and flicked a floater off her wrist as the first quarter buzzer sounded to give the Crusaders a slight 12-11 lead through the first quarter. 

In the second frame of action, the Crusaders caught fire from three-point range. Junior Jada Newberg erupted for Bishop Heelan. The junior went 4-5 in the first half, including two from beyond the arc. 

Bishop Heelan also forced the Rams into seven turnovers, resulting in seven points. The turnovers, along with the Crusader's scorching 100% (6-6) from three in the second quarter gave Bishop Heelan a 38-25 lead at the break. 

The second half continued to be an uphill battle for Glenwood. The Crusader's defensive prowess did not let up, and the Rams were visibly frustrated. 

The third quarter was a low-scoring, chess match. Glenwood moved away from the 2-3 zone in the first half, to a traditional man-to-man defense. The Crusader's continued with the 1-3-1 zone. Headed into the fourth quarter, Bishop Heelan led 48-32.

In the fourth, the Rams attempted to mount the comeback with junior Jenna Hopp and senior Madison Camden as the two started to gain momentum from the floor. However, the deficit was too much to overcome in the semifinals. 

Three-seeded Bishop Heelan rolled through the final buzzer and advance into the Iowa Class 4A state championship 68-51, and handed Glenwood its fifth loss on the season.

Bishop Heelan was led in scoring by junior Lauryn Peck and Newberg with 17 points. Sophomore guard Brooklyn Stanley sat right behind them with 16 points.

For Glenwood, senior Abby Hughes finished with 16 points, and Hopp with 11. Camden tallied nine points.

Three-seeded Bishop Heelan advances to the Class 4A championship and will play the four-seeded Cedar Rapids Xavier Saints on Saturday, March 5th.