DES MOINES -- Jessie Pauley helped save her top-ranked team from what would have been a stunning upset Monday night.

Pauley scored 17 of her 28 points in the second half and OA-BCIG rallied to beat unranked West Marshall 48-41 in a first-round Class 2A game at Wells Fargo Arena.

OA-BCIG raced to an early 10-point lead, fell behind by nine, then clawed back to remain unbeaten. The Falcons will take a 26-0 record into a semifinal game at noon Thursday against fifth-ranked Western Christian.

Pauley, who'll play at Northern Iowa next season, also grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked three shots and made five of her team's 13 steals, which helped the Falcons overcome their 27.7 percent shooting. Morgan VanDerSloot added 11 points for OA-BCIG, which is the defending state champion and has won 52 straight games. (Boxscore)

McKenzie Shipley led West Marshall with 14 points and nine rebounds. Hailee Halverson added eight points for the Trojans, who finished with a 20-6 record.

Pauley made three of her team's six 3-pointers in the first quarter as OA-BCIG built a 20-10 lead. West Marshall came back with 13 straight points to take the lead and held the defending champs without a field goal in the second quarter. When Shipley hit a 3-pointer at the start of the third quarter, the Trojans led 32-23.

Pauley scored all 10 of her team's points in the third quarter to keep the Falcons within striking distance, then hit a 3 midway through the fourth quarter for a 40-39 lead.

West Marshall regained the lead on Shipley's jumper, but Pauley came through again. She blocked a shot and sank two free throws, then rebounded a West Marshall shot that rimmed out before dropping in two more free throws, putting the Falcons up 44-41. OA-BCIG then made four more foul shots to wrap it up.

WESTERN CHRISTIAN 47, ESTHERVILLE-LINCOLN CENTRAL 45 --  Kim Kroeze scored on a putback with 4.9 seconds left to break the game's final tie and fifth-ranked Western Christian held on to beat No. 6 Estherville-Lincoln Central to advance to Thursday's semifinals.

The Wolfpack rallied from 10 points down early in the fourth quarter to beat Estherville-Lincoln Central for the second time in three ties. It was Western Christian's 10th straight victory and 13th in the last 14 games, including a 19-point win over Estherville-Lincoln Central in the regular season finale.

Alissa Pollema and Jamie Gesink led Western Christian with 12 points each and Brooke Wolterstorff added nine. Pollema scored six straight Western Christian points down the stretch to key the Wolfpack's final charge. (Boxscore)

Alyssa Johnson's 13 points led Estherville-Lincoln Central, the state runner-up last year. Allie Sievert added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Midgettes, while Emily Kirchner had six points and 13 rebounds.

Western Christian survived 28 percent shooting by causing problems with its pressing, trapping defense. The Wolfpack came up with 10 steals, four by Gesink.

Trailing 39-29 less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Western Christian forced several turnovers during a 14-3 run that pulled the Wolfpack into a 43-42 lead with 1:26 left.

Estherville-Lincoln Central tied it twice, the last time at 45 on Johnson's bank shot with 49 seconds remaining. Western Christian worked for the final shot, then missed twice before Kroeze rebounded the second miss and scored, drawing a foul as the ball went through.

She missed the free throw, but Western Christian forced a jump ball and retained possession with 1.1 seconds remaining. The Wolfpack inbounded the ball and the clock ran out.

Western Christian, which has no seniors in its starting lineup, moves into a semifinal game at noon Thursday with a 23-3 record. Estherville-Lincoln Central finishes 24-3, with two losses to Western Christian and one to Class 3A qualifier Bishop Heelan of Sioux City.