The Sommer twins proved to be too much for the Kennedy Cougars Thursday.

Katie Sommer and Kristie Sommer combined for 42 points as Linn-Mar rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to defeat the sliding ninth-ranked Cougars, 67-63, in overtime at Linn-Mar.

Kennedy (14-7, 8-5) led 35-18 at intermission. Morgan Martin led the way with 18 first-half points and a defense that allowed the Lions only three points in the second period.

“Everything was working well in the first half,” said Martin. “We got away from what we were doing in the first half and didn’t play as well on the defensive end in that second half either.”

It was Senior Night and in the second half it was the Sommer sisters' time to shine. They scored 31 of their combined 42 points after halftime.

“We wanted to play more aggressive in the second half than we did in the first half,” said Kristie Sommer, who scored 17. “We stressed working hard and working together as a team.”

Linn-Mar (14-8, 9-4) outscored the Cougars 26-10 in the third quarter and got inside help from Aryn Jones, who scored all of her 10 points in the second half.

With 7.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Katie Sommer hit two free throws to give the Lions a two-point lead at 59-57. Jordan Holmes took the ensuing inbounds pass the distance of the court and hit a layup to send the game to overtime.

In the overtime, the Sommers salted the game away with six of their 17 free throws.

“W-N-Y, why not you,” Katie Sommer said at game's end after netting 25 points. “We just kept saying why not you and together we got the job done. Free throws win games and that’s how we won tonight.”

The Sommer twins transferred from Dubuque Senior to Linn-Mar for the 2013-14 school year.

“The Sommer girls have been such a great addition for us. They came in with the desire to succeed and the willingness to work hard to achieve their goals,” said Linn-Mar Coach Michael Brandt. “Our girls just have a never-quit attitude, and that attitude and their willingness to adjust is a real strength for this team.”

Martin finished with 22 points for the Cougars, who also got 18 from Paige Hendrickson and 11 from Stephanie Botkin.

“Tonight, they were tough-minded, as they have been all year,” said Kennedy Coach Tony Vis. “We have some inconsistencies that can be frustrating sometimes. We aren’t quite where I want us to be yet. We need to learn our lessons.”

KENNEDY (63): Meier 1 0-0 3, Holmes 3 0-0 7, Hendrickson 7 0-0 18, Botkin 4 3-4 11, Martin 10 1-1 22, Hayden 0 0-0 0, Vis 0 0-0 0, Milbrath 0 0-0 0, DeLong 0 0-0 0, Langhurst 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 4-5 63.

LINN-MAR: (67): Kr.Sommer 4 8-8 17, Ka.Sommer 7 9-11 25, Jones 4 2-3 10, Robertson 1 1-2 4, Makinster 0 0-0 0, Sharma 0 0-0 0, Montague 2 1-2 7, Nietert 2 0-0 4, Lancial 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 21-26 67.

Halftime – Kennedy 35, Linn-Mar 18. 3-point goals – Kennedy 7 (Meier, Holmes, Hendrickson 4, Martin), Linn-Mar 6 (Kr.Sommer, Ka.Sommer 2, Robertson, Montague 2).