Sydney Huber will remember her final school basketball game as one of her best.
Huber scored 24 points and did outstanding work in defense in leading Mount Vernon to the Class 3A state championship with a 47-35 victory over Dubuque Wahlert Catholic.
It was the second state title for the Mustangs (26-1), who finished the season with 25 straight victories after losing to 5A tournament qualifier Cedar Rapids Prairie in their second game. Their other title came in Class 2A in 2010.
Huber, the daughter of former Iowa State star Stacy Frese Huber, made her first five shots, including two 3-pointers, and finished 9-for-13. She wound up 3-for-5 from deep, tacked on four rebounds and an assist and was the all-tournament captain.
The 6-foot guard, who will continue her career at Evansville, also accepted the challenge of guarding Wahlert star Claire Lueken, one of her teammates in travel ball. Lueken scored 53 points and shot 56 percent in Wahlert鈥檚 first two state tournament games. She finished with only 10 in this one and missed 13 of her 15 shots.聽
Savanna Wright, Taylor Franck and Courtney Franck each scored six points for the Mount Vernon, with Franck pulling down 12 rebounds, handing out three assists and blocking two shots. Chloe Meester added five points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
With Lueken struggling, Wahlert (21-5) never got anything going offensively. The Golden Eagles shot 23 percent and kept it as close as they did only because of their rebounding. They grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, which led to a 19-2 edge in second-chance points. Mount Vernon offset that by getting to the basket and outscoring the Golden Eagles 28-10 in the paint.
Olivia Donovan added nine points and 13 rebounds for Wahlert, which reached a championship game for the first time. Teammate Claire King scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds.
Huber鈥檚 hot start lifted Mount Vernon into a 14-10 lead after one quarter and the Mustangs stayed in front the rest of the way. They led by as many as 12 in the second half and when Wahlert got to within six in the fourth quarter, Huber responded with two free throws, a 3-pointer and a layup in a 7-2 run that wrapped it up.
Wright, Franck and Lueken also were named to the all-tournament team along with Carly Rich of Williamsburg and Haylee Stokes of Estherville-Lincoln Central.
Mount Vernon also won the Class 3A title in volleyball last fall, with Huber and Meester earning all-tournament honors. Meester will play volleyball at Louisville.
