Stokes delivers late; Lions edge Ankeny

DES MOINES -- There was contact, Kiah Stokes conceded.

But contact doesn't always translate into a foul. It didn't in the final seconds Wednesday, and Linn-Mar survived.

Stokes scored on a frantic, coast-to-coast drive with 20 seconds left, then blocked away Maddie Manning's last hope as second-ranked Linn-Mar edged No. 10 Ankeny, 48-47, in a Class 4A quarterfinal at the girls' state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.

"You've got to do what you've got to do when you've got to do it," Stokes said.

Down a point with 30 seconds left, the Lions needed a basket. Stokes provided it.

Then they needed a stop. And Stokes supplied that.

Manning missed three shots in the final seconds. Her 15-footer clanked off the back of the rim. She got the rebound, then missed a shorter shot.

After the ball was jostled around, Manning had possession under the hoop with one final chance. Stokes snuffed it.

Yes, there was contact.

"They could have called a foul," Stokes said. "But they could have called a foul a lot of times today."

Manning's opinion?

"It sounds like an excuse, but there was a lot of contact," she said. "My whole body. She took out my legs and shoulders."

And how about Ankeny Coach Scott DeJong?

"I'd be wise not to say anything," he said. "No comment."

Stokes' block went off Manning and out of bounds with 0.5 seconds left. Linn-Mar inbounded without incident as the horn sounded.

Ankeny fans booed lustily as the players and officials left the floor.

Regardless, Linn-Mar (22-2) meets No. 3 Iowa City West in a semifinal at noon Friday. The Women of Troy (22-2) downed No. 6 Cedar Rapids Washington, 67-58, Wednesday.

The defending champions survived though Stokes was a subpar 8 of 18 from the field in an 18-point, 11 rebound performance. The Lions got solid production from reserves Shanice Cheatham and Courtney Major (16 points between them) and nine points from Jenna Eells.

And when Stokes absolutely, positively needed to come through, she did.

Manning's three-point play gave Ankeny (20-4) its first lead of the fourth quarter at 47-46 with 30 seconds to go. Stokes took the inbounds pass 75 feet from the basket and took off like a 6-foot-3 point guard down the sideline.

"She can do that; you just don't see it often in a game," Eells said. "She got going and I just thought, 'Go, Kiah.' "

She did. Stokes didn't stop until the was under the basket, then scored in traffic.

Linn-Mar scored 10 straight points to take a 34-28 lead late in the third quarter, but Ankeny chipped away and got even at 44-44 on Krista Pettepier's basket with 1:50 left.

Manning led the Hawkettes with 16 points. Shayla Starkenburg added 13.

AT DES MOINES

ANKENY (47): Madi Robson 2-4 0-0 6, Maddie Manning 7-21 2-3 16, Shayla Starkenburg 6-9 1-2 13, Maddie Muhlenbruck 2-5 0-0 6, Krista Pettepier 3-14 0-0 6, Cameron Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Brittany Hedrick 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 20-57 3-5 47.

LINN-MAR (48): Mykaela Brandt 0-1 0-0 0, Rachel Thrune 0-0 2-2 2, Kailee Karr 1-4 1-2 3, Jenna Eells 2-2 4-4 9, Kiah Stokes 8-18 2-5 18, Shanice Cheatham 3-7 3-4 9, Courtney Major 3-4 1-2 7. Totals 17-36 13-19 48.

Halftime: Linn-Mar 22, Ankeny 20. 3-point goals: Ankeny 4-6 (Robson 2-2, Manning 0-2, Muhlenbruck 2-2), Linn-Mar 1-3 (Karr 0-1, Eells 1-1, Stokes 0-1). Team fouls: Ankeny 18, Linn-Mar 8. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Ankeny 25 (Manning 6), Linn-Mar 34 (Stokes 11). Assists: Ankeny 14 (Manning 6), Linn-Mar 9 (Brandt 2). Steals: Ankeny 8 (Manning 3), Linn-Mar 3 (Karr 2). Turnovers: Ankeny 7, Linn-Mar 18.

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