Linn-Mar High School - Marion, Iowa

Ollinger, Rice make all-tourney teams

DES MOINES - Amanda Ollinger of Linn-Mar and Chloe Rice of Marion were named to the all-tournament teams at the girls state basketball tournament Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

Ollinger, a 6-foot-1 senior, was named to the Class 5A all-tournament team. She collected 42 points, 38 rebounds, seven blocks, six steals and three assists in two games. Her 38 rebounds set a Class 5A tournament record.

Rice, a 5-10 sophomore, was selected to the Class 4A all-tournament squad. She finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals in two games.

Linn-Mar and Marion both reached the semifinals of the state tournament.

Lions run fast at Demon track meet

MOUNT VERNON – The Linn-Mar boys track team took second place in four events at the Demon Indoor meet Friday at Cornell College.

Griffin Freese was second in the 200 meters in 23.52 seconds, Daniel Gorsich was second in the 60 hurdles (8.35) and the Lions took second in the 4x400 and sprint medley relays (3:39.53 and 3:51.14, respectively).

Dallas Hobbs took second place in the shot put for Washington with a toss of 50 feet, 2½ inches and teammate Gerry Alt was third at 49-11½.

Prairie took second in the 4x800 in 8:25.68 and third in the medley relay in 3:53.45.

Cold Lions fall to No. 1 Johnston

DES MOINES - It's hard to beat a high school basketball team that has six future NCAA Division I or Division II athletes on its roster.

That's what the Linn-Mar Lions faced in the semifinals of the Class 5A girls state basketball tournament Friday and it was too much talent to overcome.

The top-ranked Johnston Dragons, oozing outstanding athletes at every spot, handed the sixth-ranked Lions a 51-39 setback at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

"They're a very tough team," said Linn-Mar coach Jaime Brandt. "They're athletic. They have some really talented players and they played really well today."

Taryn Knuth, a 6-foot-4 junior who neutralized Linn-Mar star Amanda Ollinger, has committed to play volleyball at Florida State. Elle Brown, a sensational 5-foot-11 point guard and the daughter of former Olympic track star Nathasha Kaiser-Brown, will play basketball at Missouri.

Read more...

Ramsey, Dickes place 2nd at Cornell meet

MOUNT VERNON – Linn-Mar’s Kira Ramsey and Xavier’s Jennifer Dickes each earned second-place finishes at the Girls Demon Indoor track meet Thursday at Cornell College.

Ramsey finished second in the 200 meters in 27.85 seconds for the Lions. Dickes was second in the 400 in 1:04.28 for the Saints.

Linn-Mar’s Abby Gries finished right behind Dickes in the 400 with third place in 1:04.66.