![Kamryn Finley of Linn-Mar dribbles ahead of Kira Arthofer of Pleasant Valley in the final seconds of Tuesday's game at Linn-Mar. Finley led the Lions with 20 points. (MSR photo by Ken Gilchrist).](/images/resized/images/photos/linn-mar/girlsbasketball/01_19_16 finley_thumb200__200_286.jpg)
No. 12 Lions nipped by No. 15 PV
It was a classic battle between blue bloods and blue collar.
And in the end Tuesday night the gritty girls from Pleasant Valley beat the more-heralded Linn-Mar Lions. But just barely.
While spotting the smaller, younger Spartans a 12-point lead after three quarters, the Lions roared back to tie it at 54-all with less than a minute to go.
Following a wide-open driving bucket on the other end by PV’s Lana Lindstrom, Linn-Mar’s two stars in the waning seconds both had their chances to knot it again. But Kamryn Finley’s jumper was a little off and Amanda Ollinger’s rebound rolled off the rim.
With that, the Mississippi Athletic Conference contenders (now 10-4) head back to Bettendorf with a squeaker 56-54 win.
"Our theme this year is that we’re a blue collar team,” said Pleasant Valley coach Jennifer Goetz, whose club is ranked 15th in Class 5A. “My kids play really hard. We have to in order to beat good teams like Linn-Mar.”
For the 12th-ranked Lions, touted by Coach Jaime Brandt as having among the top talent in the state, it was a case of too little too late.
Read more...