Linn-Mar holds off furious Cedar Rapids Prairie rally, 48-45

CEDAR RAPIDS — He tried to warn them.

“Going into the fourth quarter I told the kids, Prairie has been in this position before. They always chip away. That’s their M.O.,” Linn-Mar girls’ basketball coach Chad Tompkins said.

True to form, the Hawks rallied. But time was on Linn-Mar’s side.

The Class 5A 14th-ranked Lions got by without a fourth-quarter field goal and held on, 48-45, in a Mississippi Valley Conference battle Tuesday night at Prairie High School.

“I kind of choked on a couple of free throws,” said Taylor Brunson, who otherwise had a tremendous outing — 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals — as the Lions improved to 8-3 overall, 4-2 in the MVC.

“The rest of the team really clutched up. It was stressful, but our defense won this one for us.”

Linn-Mar enjoyed a 44-29 lead after three quarters, thanks to Zoe Kennedy’s 3-pointer at the horn. That turned out to be a big, big shot.

Kamryn Grissel scored eight straight Prairie points to get the Hawks (4-7, 4-2) within shouting range at 45-37 with just over two minutes left. Ava Van Voorst hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut it to 46-45, then Kennedy hit a pair of foul shots for the final margin.

The Lions won this one in the middle two quarters. They continue to be the surprise of the Metro this winter.

“We’re 8-3, but there are still some things we need to fix,” Tompkins said. “I’m glad we’re at where we’re at, but I’m not happy. We still need to get better to get where we want to go.”

Caelynn Obleton added 13 points for the Lions. Kennedy posted 12 points and seven boards.

And the Lions held Prairie to 30-percent shooting (14 of 46) from the field.

“We were talking. Our bench was great,” Brunson said. “All of that defense led to our defensive game picking up.”

Prairie led 17-12 early in the second quarter before the Lions took over. They held a 23-21 halftime lead, then outscored the Hawks 21-8 in the third quarter to stretch the margin to a seemingly-safe 15.

Grissel paced the Hawks with 16 points, hitting all four of her 3-point attempts. Freshman Asia Beale added seven points.

Linn-Mar 48, Cedar Rapids Prairie 45

At C.R. Prairie

LINN-MAR (48): Ellie Daubenmier 0-1 0-0 0, Tessa Casebolt 1-2 2-4 4, Taylor Brunson 6-10 2-4 15, Caelynn Obleton 4-6 3-3 13, Zoe Kennedy 3-10 5-7 12, Ella Grove 2-2 0-0 4, Meredith Koenen 0-0 0-0 0, Lauren Haefner 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-32 12-18 48.

C.R. PRAIRIE (45): Catie Reittinger 1-8 1-3 3, Kamryn Grissel 5-7 2-4 16, Neveah Diaz-Doolin 1-9 0-0 2, McKenna Murray 0-2 5-6 5, Asia Beale 3-5 1-1 7, Ella Nove 2-5 0-0 5, Chloe Heefner 0-2 1-3 1, Megan Mallicoat 0-2 0-0 0, Ava Van Voorst 2-6 0-0 6. Totals 14-46 10-17 45.

Linn-Mar 12 11 21 4 — 48

C.R. Prairie 15 6 8 16 — 45

3-point goals: Linn-Mar 4-8 (Brunson 1-1, Obleton 2-4, Kennedy 1-2, Haefner 0-1), Prairie 7-20 (Grissel 4-4, Diaz-Doolin 0-5, Beale 0-1, Nove 1-4, Mallicoat 0-1, Van Voorst 2-5). Team fouls: Linn-Mar 16, Prairie 21. Fouled out: Grissel. Rebounds: Linn-Mar 25 (Brunson, Kennedy 7), Prairie 31 (Diaz-Doolin 6). Assists: Linn-Mar 9 (Daubenmier, Brunson 3), Prairie 6 (Diaz-Doolin 2). Steals: Linn-Mar 10 (Brunson 4), Prairie 8 (Diaz-Doolin 3). Turnovers: Linn-Mar 17, Prairie 13.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com