The third-ranked Linn-Mar girls basketball team needed exactly one half of Friday’s game against No. 6 Xavier to resume its winning ways, storming back after an anemic first half to defeat the Saints, 51-33, in a Mississippi Valley tangle at Xavier.

On Tuesday night, Linn-Mar dropped its first game of the season and ended the program’s 39-game conference winning streak in a loss to Waterloo West.

“That made me mad,” said Linn-Mar all-stater Kiah Stokes. “I really don’t like to lose and I didn’t want it to happen again.”

But she almost missed the chance to get her team back on track, as she battled a stomach flu that kept her out of practice Wednesday and Thursday and left her feeling sluggish to start Friday’s game.

Xavier played stifling defense and dominated for two periods, limiting Linn-Mar to only one field goal in the first quarter and two in the second. The Saints led, 13-5, after one period and 22-15 at the half, holding Stokes to eight points, six of them at the free throw line.

But it was a tale of two halves as the Lions made critical adjustments and stormed back after the break.

“We weren’t executing offense,” Linn-Mar Coach Mike Brandt said of his team’s first-half effort. “We were shooting too many long balls without moving the ball inside-out first. We adjusted our defense a little bit so Kiah didn’t come out.”

Fed by her teammates, Linn-Mar’s 6-foot-3 senior poured in the baskets, scoring 16 points in the third period while Xavier managed only a single field goal. She added six more in the fourth quarter to finish with a game-high 30 points.

Linn-Mar missed only one field goal in the second half and outscored Xavier, 36-11.

“I’m just very, very proud of Kiah’s effort after having the flu all week,” Brandt said. “We tried to give her as many breaks as we could, and she was able to put that out of her mind.”

Brandt said his team spent little time dwelling on the end of its MVC record-tying win streak. “These girls really understand that we’re trying to get better for the postseason and that’s the number one thing.”

Junior guard Katlyn Andersen led Xavier with 10 points.

LINN-MAR (51): Martins 0 0-0 0, Brandt 1 5-9 7, Strauel 1 0-0 2, Thrune 0 0-0 0, Karr 1 2-2 4, Cheatham 0 1-2 1, Eells 2 3-4 7, Major 0 0-0 0, Stokes 12 6-8 30. Totals 17 17-25 51

XAVIER (33): Dale 2 0-0 4, Saxen 1 2-2 5, Sampson 0 0-0 0, Walvoord 1 2-2 4, Tow 3 0-0 6,  Andersen 4 0-0 10, Dickes 0 0-0 0, Bartz 2 0-0 4. Totals 13 4-4 33.

Halftime – Xavier 22, Linn Mar 15. 3-pointers – Linn Mar 0, Xavier 3 (Andersen 2, Saxen). Fouled out – Saxen.