Linn-Mar Boys Basketball

Lions trimmed by No. 1 Trojans

The Linn-Mar Lions came into Friday night's showdown with top-ranked Iowa City West intent on winning.

"We didn't show up just to play them close," said Coach Chris Robertson. "Our mindset was to win the game."

They nearly pulled it off and may have got the job done had it not been for the play of West junior Alex Henderson.

The pesky guard came off the bench to hit all six of his field-goal attempts. He finished with 15 points as the Trojans closed the game on an 8-3 run to escape with a 61-56 win over the No. 8 Lions before an enthusiastic crowd in the Linn-Mar gym.

Robertson said Henderson was on the Lions' scouting report.

Read more...

No. 8 Linn-Mar boys top Senior 44-37

DUBUQUE - Nic Uhlir scored 13 points as No. 8 Linn-Mar was able to grind out a 44-37 win Tuesday night at Dubuque Senior.

The Lions (8-1, 6-0 MVC Valley Division) shot out to a 12-0 lead but then went cold as Senior gradually worked back into the game.

Linn-Mar led 27-23 after three quarters and was able to pull away in the final eight minutes.

Luke McDonnell led Senior (6-3, 4-2) with a game-high 16 points.

Linn-Mar hosts No. 1 Iowa City West on Friday night.

LINN-MAR (44): Uhlir 4 3-6 13, Murphy 0 0-0 0, Noble 4 0-1 8, Bohannon 2 4-4 9, Klostermann 0 0-0 0, Tichy 1 0-0 2 Halupnik 1 4-4 7, Schmidt 1 0-1 2, Brandt 0 3-6 3. Totals: 13 14-22 44.

DUBUQUE SENIOR (37): Masic 1 0-0 2, Hermsen 0 0-0 0, Noel 1 0-0 3, Psihoyos 1 0-0 3, Blackman 1 1-2 4, Humpal-Griffin 1 3-4 5, Davis 2 0-1 4, McDonnell 4 8-10 16. Totals: 11 12-17 37.

Halftime: Linn-Mar 20, Dubuque Senior 15. 3-point goals:  Linn-Mar 4 (Uhlir 2, Bohannon, Halupnik), Dubuque Senior 3 (Noel, Psihoyos,  Blackman).

Linn-Mar popping up in the polls

The Linn-Mar Lions have been popping up all over the place in the sports polls this winter.

Basketball, bowling, wrestling, swimming. Pick a sport and the Lions are listed prominently among the top teams in the state.

The Linn-Mar boys basketball team, riding a seven-game winning streak, jumped from 10th to eighth in the new AP rankings Monday in Class 4A. The Lions collected a pair of impressive victories over Kennedy and Cedar Falls last week. A tough week is ahead with a game Tuesday night at Dubuque Senior before games at home Friday with No. 1 Iowa City West and on the road Saturday at No. 5 Ankeny Ccentennial.

The Linn-Mar girls basketball team, led by new coach Jaime (Printy) Brandt, is ranked fifth in Class 5A by the IGHSAU. The Lions have a 9-1 record and are headed for a showdown at No. 4 Iowa City West on Friday after hosting Dubuque Senior on Tuesday.

Read more...

No.9 Eagles have foul game with NIACC

MASON CITY - The ninth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles were outscored 20-0 at the foul line Saturday and lost to NIACC, 75-67, in the conference opener for both teams.

The Eagles (12-4, 0-1) were called for 21 fouls. NIACC (9-7, 1-0) was whistled for 10 infractions.

Jordan Ashton poured in eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points for Kirkwood. Joe Tagarelli had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Matt Lassen scored 11 points.

Ashton was 8-for-16 on his 3-point shots.

Read more...