COUNCIL BLUFFS — Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln coach Chad Schaa's beard is 10 days old now, and it has drawn mixed reviews.

“Ninety-five percent of people want me to get rid of it, but I'm going to keep it as long as I can,” he said.

If A.L. keeps producing postseason wins like its 63-25 victory over Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson in the Class 4-A Region 8 quarterfinals Wednesday, it may be a while before Schaa is clean shaven.

“If it helps, I'll keep it all summer,” he said.

After a poor start, A.L led by eight at the half. But the Lynx (9-13) outscored the Yellow Jackets 43-13 in the second half.

The Lynx will now travel to play Lewis Central on Saturday night with a regional-final berth on the line.

Abraham Lincoln overwhelmed T.J. (0-21) in just about every phase of the game during its second-half run. The Lynx dominated the glass, outrebounding the Jackets 50-26 overall, with 32 coming on the offensive end, and forcing 39 T.J. turnovers.

Delaney Bolton and Taylor Volentine scored 14 points each as 11 of the 12 A.L. players who saw action scored. Bolton also added 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Still, the Lynx didn't shoot particularly well, making 26 of 73 shots (35 percent). But their work on the offensive glass was the primary difference in the game.

“We weren't boxing out,” T.J. coach Nicole Vetter said. “When you're going against somebody bigger than you, inside position isn't enough. … You're not going to win that battle very often.”

Hannah Christensen's free throw with six minutes left in the third quarter jump-started a 16-2 run by the Lynx that turned a 24-12 advantage into a comfortable 40-16 lead by the end of the period. Jasmyn Flynn, Volentine, Maddy Rief and Bolton also scored during the run, and the lead kept growing throughout the fourth quarter.

Saturday's semifinal will be a rematch of city foes. Lewis Central won 44-36 on Jan. 28 at Abraham Lincoln the only time the teams met this season.

In his four years at A.L., Schaa has never defeated the Titans. And if the streak is to stop Saturday, The Lynx must play one of their better games of the year.

“They play great as a team,” Schaa said. “Their defense is outstanding.

“We can compete with them. It was a three-point game going into the fourth quarter the last time we played. We just want an opportunity in that fourth quarter to pull out a victory.”

As for the Jackets, Tuesday completed a difficult season. A lack of size and experience hurt with six freshmen receiving regular playing time and only one player standing taller than 5-foot-9.

“That wasn't what we expected when we started the year, but that's what we ended with,” Vetter said. “They played hard the whole time. They had the heart and desire to play.”

Thomas Jefferson (0-21)...................4 8 4 9—25
Abraham Lincoln (9-13)..................6 14 20 23—63

TJ: Samantha Arnold 4-13 0-2 8, Alison Arnold 2-5 0-2 4, Jami Miedl 0-2 0-0 0, Rachel O'Neal 0-1 0-0 0, Mistie Kackley 3-6 1-2 7, Deziree Kearney 2-3 0-0 4, Alexis Alcaraz 1-2 0-1 2, La'Kendra Black 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Ross 0-1 0-0 0, Te'Leigha Starks 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 12-33 1-7 25.

AL: Mackenzie Bolton 2-9 0-0 4, Ali Heithoff 1-4 0-0 2, Delaney Bolton 4-14 6-11 14, Lauren Rommel 1-6 0-0 2, Jasmyn Flynn 3-8 0-2 6, Hannah Christensen 1-5 2-2 4, Maddy Rief 3-4 0-0 6, Olivia Leisinger 3-8 1-3 7, Taylor Volentine 6-10 2-4 14, Alexa Murphy 1-3 0-0 2, Maddie Kinney 1-2 0-0 2, Autumn Bettcher 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-73 11-22 63.

3-point shots: TJ 0-1 (S. Arnold 0-1), AL 0-10 (M. Bolton 0-2, Heithoff 0-1, D. Bolton 0-3, Rommel 0-2, Christensen 0-2). Rebounds: TJ 26 (Kackley 6), AL 50 (Leisinger, D. Bolton 10). Assists: TJ 1 (S. Arnold 1), AL 9 (D. Bolton 3). Turnovers: TJ 39, AL 20.