State's top-rated teams facing off at Rivalry

CEDAR RAPIDS - For 10 hours Saturday, it will feel like February inside the U.S. Cellular Center."It will be a playoff-type atmosphere," said Mike Brandt, girls' basketball coach at Linn-Mar.Rivalry Saturday makes its fifth appearance downtown, and this year's set of six games has the best pedigree yet.Two games stand out. Linn-Mar (12-0), the top-rated team in Class 4A, faces 3A No. 1 Ballard (13-0) at 2:45 p.m. The finale, at 8 p.m., pits 2A No. 1 MFL MarMac (15-0) against 1A No. 1 Springville (13-0).That's right. Each of the state's top-rated teams are here."There's a real buzz in our community," said Springville Coach Brian O'Donnell, whose team has won 26 consecutive games and claimed the 2008 1A state championship."We're excited to have a chance to play a No. 1 team. It's a bonus for us, a tremendous challenge."The event, sponsored by Mercy Sports Care, begins at 11 a.m.Half of the 12-team field reached the state tournament last year - Davenport Assumption was the 2A titlist - and the group contains a combined record of 110-18 (85.9 winning percentage)."It's great for us in that we get to play on a big stage against somebody good," said MFL MarMac Coach Jason Halverson. "This event started small, and it has turned into an event that everybody looks forward to."Monona is a two-hour drive from Cedar Rapids, but Halverson jumped when event director Scot Moenck, the girls' basketball coach at Maquoketa Valley, offered the Bulldogs a slot."It's a big game from the standpoint that two good teams will be going at it," Halverson said. "Two good teams, and one is going to lose, but both teams' goals will still be intact afterward."MFL MarMac already has posted decisive victories this season against Cedar Rapids Jefferson (a quality 4A team), Crestwood and Decorah (a pair of strong 3A teams)."They're so talented at every position, they're going to expose some things we need to work on," O'Donnell said. "I'm sure a lot of people don't give us a chance to win."From a talent standpoint, nothing approaches the matchup between Linn-Mar and Ballard.Linn-Mar's Jaime Printy (18.4 points per game) and Ballard's Amanda Zimmerman (16.4 ppg) committed to Iowa and Iowa State, respectively, three years ago as freshmen."Jaime is so much stronger than she's been," Brandt said. "What I'm most happy with is that we've had a lot of different kids stepping up."Zimmerman will be tested inside by Linn-Mar sophomore Kiah Stokes, who averages 15.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 6.1 blocks.Linn-Mar is outscoring its opponents by 36 points per game; Ballard by 35. Among the Bombers' victims are MVC teams Cedar Rapids Washington and Cedar Falls."They're playing very well," Brandt said.Springville isn't scheduled to play until 8 p.m., but O'Donnell plans to be in the arena by the tipoff of the first game. He expects his players to filter in shortly thereafter."They love to play basketball and they love to watch basketball," O'Donnell said. "They sat and watched most of the games at state last year, and it worked out OK."n Contact the writer: (319) 368-8857 or jeff.linder@gazcomm.com

By Jeff LinderThe Gazette jeff.linder@gazettecommunications.com

Kiah Stokes Faces Zimmerman