Ollinger helps Lions escape Indians
For a while Saturday night, it looked like the age-old (but sometimes interrupted) rivalry between the Linn-Mar and Marion girls was going to be more of the same.
The traditionally dominant Lions charged out to a 19-8 lead on the big stage at the U.S. Cellular Center while the freshman-laden Indians appeared to have a case of the jitters.
Marion senior workhorse Amanda Sahm took charge, however, and even coaxed her young teammates into the lead before finally falling 52-48.
As was bound to happen sooner or later, new Linn-Mar star Amanda Ollinger (with help from her former AAU pal Niki Sharma) celebrated a second half coming-out party that proved too tough for the undersized Marion girls to handle.
In her third game since transferring from Jefferson at mid-season, the 6-foot-1 all-stater pumped in 15 of her game-high 17 points after halftime. She also collected a team-high nine rebounds along with three crucial steals and two blocks.
