Free-throw advantage boosts City High

MARION - Amanda Ollinger got a bloody nose, and a milestone.

Ashley Joens earned a puffy eye. And a victory.

Class 5A ninth-ranked Iowa City High amassed a 25-4 advantage from the free-throw line and owned the fourth quarter, pushing past No. 6 Linn-Mar, 60-49, in a non-conference girls' basketball game between the MVC rivals Tuesday night at Linn-Mar High School.

'We just said we were going to keep with it,” said Joens, who posted 25 points and 11 rebounds as City High improved to 6-1. 'We wanted this one a lot. We kept going.”

Joens, an extremely promising sophomore, had been struggling with her free-throw stroke earlier this season. But she hit 13 of 14 from the line Tuesday to improve to a very respectable 71 percent this season.

'My dad said I was moving my shoulders when I was shooting them,” said Joens, holding a bag of ice and waiting to apply it to her right eye. 'I've tried to keep them stable when I shoot.”

The Little Hawks trailed by 11 points midway through the second period, caught the Lions (5-1) at 38-38 by the end of the third quarter, then pulled away late.

Leading 48-46 with less than 2 minutes left, the Little Hawks were 12 of 12 from the line the rest of way and finished 25 of 29 from the stripe.

'So much of free-throw shooting is mental,” said City Coach Bill McTaggart. 'We talked about composure after our loss to Cedar Rapids Kennedy (Dec. 4), and we're playing with a lot more of it right now.”

Kenya Earl added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Little Hawks. Courtney Joens - Ashley's older sister and a University of Illinois signee, added 11.

Ollinger paced the Lions with 16 points, upping her career total to 1,011. Her 3-pointer with 2:01 gone in the game allowed her to cross the 1,000-point plateau.

'It's a great accomplishment,” said Ollinger, who has signed to play at Iowa. 'I couldn't have done it without all my teammates. This is their accomplishment, too.”

Ollinger scored 689 points in two-plus seasons at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, and has added 322 since arriving at Linn-Mar. She is averaging 18.8 points per game this season. She took a shot to the nose with 5:00 left in the third quarter and missed most of the period while trying to stop the bleeding.

Linn-Mar's biggest lead was 27-16 on Alie Akers' 3-pointer, but Ashley Joens hit eight straight free throws as City High crept within 31-27 by intermission.

'Early on, we really attacked their defense,” said Lions Coach Jaime Brandt. 'We were knocking down shots and playing with confidence. Then we got a little timid.”

Kamryn Finley added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Lions. Akers scored 11 points.

The teams will meet again Feb. 5 in Iowa City. That game will count in the MVC standings.

IOWA CITY HIGH 60, LINN-MAR 49

At Linn-Mar

IOWA CITY HIGH (60): Sydney Schroder 1-3 0-0 2, Ashley Joens 6-14 13-14 25, Bryn Hanrahan 1-2 0-0 3, Courtney Joens 2-8 6-7 11, Kenya Earl 4-16 6-7 15, Rose Gamamou 2-2 0-0 4, Mikayla Lacey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-45 25-29 60.

LINN-MAR (49): Alie Akers 4-12 0-0 11, Lexi Frese 1-5 0-0 2, Brittney Lancial 1-5 0-0 3, Kamryn Finley 4-11 2-2 12, Amanda Ollinger 6-13 2-2 16, Ally Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Carly Spies 1-1 0-0 2, Claire Larson 0-1 0-0 0, Megan Murphy 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 18-52 4-4 49.

Halftime: Linn-Mar 31, City 27. 3-point goals: City 3-12 (Schroder 0-1, A.Joens 0-1, Hanrahan 1-2, C.Joens 1-3, Earl 1-5), Linn-Mar 9-25 (Akers 3-8, Lancial 1-4, Finley 2-6, Ollinger 2-3, Johnson 0-1, Murphy 1-3). Team fouls: City 9, Linn-Mar 21. Fouled out: Ollinger. Rebounds: City 35 (A.Joens 11), Linn-Mar 31 (Finley 9), Assists: City 3 (A.Joens 2), Linn-Mar 10 (Finley, Larson, Murphy 2). Steals: City 6 (A.Joens 3), Linn-Mar 3 (three with 1). Turnovers: City 10, Linn-Mar 13.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com