Lions, Tigers and Brandt don’t scare.

Oh my.

Linn-Mar Junior guard Mykaela Brandt is listed at 5-foot-6. But she took the ball to the hole against Cedar Falls 6-3 center Kaz Brown with no fear when it mattered Tuesday night in a defining 48-45 victory for the 12th ranked Lions at home.

A high school game is 32 minutes, but the last three and half were a must-see in a battle of MVC big cats.

Brandt showed everyone how to close out a close game as she refused to lose, getting the ball to the rim three straight times after Cedar Falls had tied it up.

With the game knotted at 40 with 3:15 left, Brandt drove for two. Then again with about 2:30 to play and the game tied at 42, Brandt got another layup as the Lions retook the lead. With just over a minute to play Brandt struck one last time, breaking a 44-44 tie with another strong slash to the hoop to give the Lions the lead for good.

“I was thinking relax and play the game,” Brandt said of her mind frame late in the game. “I know we are quick and can get to the basket.”

Her Dad, Linn-Mar head Coach Michael Brandt, was pleased with his daughter and her teammates.

“It is huge for us to have people ready to stop up especially late," Coach Brandt said. “I am happy how we weathered being down and tied late.”

Brandt may have scored what turned out to be the game winning basket, but it wasn’t quite over. Brown made one of two free throws for the Tigers to cut it to 46-45 before  Linn-Mar junior Courtney Major went to the line for a one and one with 30 seconds to play. After leaving the door open with a miss, she came back with 10 seconds left and drained a pair to extend the lead to three.

The Lion defense did the rest, forcing the Tigers into a desperation 3-point attempt that fell short and cemented the win.

Both teams played man defense from the start with the Lions putting on some full court pressure. Cedar Falls got a couple tough blows early when starter Imonee Qualls left for the night with an ankle injury and leader scorer Allie Wirth picked up three fouls. The Lions were hurt by fouls, too. Major picked up two early fouls. The Lions' depth helped them take an 11-8 lead after the first.

The Lions (6-1, 3-1) and Tigers (6-3, 4-1) both shot poorly for the majority of the second quarter but a late surge from Brandt gave the Lions a six-point halftime lead.

“I was happy with the shot selection they just didn’t fall,” Coach Brandt said of his team's 26 percent shooting in the half. “I’ll take those shots all day.”

The majority of the second half was controlled by West's Brown. She scored all 12 of her points in the second half and controlled the paint with her long arms.

“No doubt Cedar Falls is a great team, a shot blocker like that (Brown) makes it hard to score in the paint,” Coach Brandt said. “We got to see what we had for four years (with Kiah Stokes).”

Cedar Falls trailed by four going in to the fourth, but took a lead with six minutes to play. From there the game went back and forth until Brandt took control.

Brandt led the Lions with 17 points and Major added 10.

CEDAR FALLS (45): Allie Wirth 2 0-0 4, Imonee Qualls 0 0-0 0, Emily Neff 4 0-0 8, Krystal Graves 4 5-5 14, Kaz Brown 3 6-10 12, Mackenzie DeMuth 2 2-2 7, Jacquelin Conrad 0 0-0 0. Team 15 13-17 45.

LINN-MAR (48): Mykaela Brandt 7 1-2 17, Sara Strauel 1 2-2 4, Rachel Thrune 0 0-0 0, Shanice Cheatham 2 0-0 4, Courtney Major 3 3-5 10, Kristen Eiles 0 0-0 0, Hannah Yearling 3 1-1 7, Alexis Libenguth 1 0-0 2, Carly Ryder 2 0-0 4. Team 19 7-10 48.

Halftime – Linn-Mar 25, Cedar Falls 19. 3-point Goals – Linn-Mar 3 (Brandt 2, Major), Cedar Falls 2 (Graves, DeMuth). Total Fouls – Linn-Mar 15 Cedar Falls 15.