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Linn-Mar remains perfect in state tournament quarterfinals
Though it was the Lions’ first boys’ state tournament appearance since 2012, they beat Waukee, 69-60, to go to 11-0 all time in the quarterfinal round
Mar. 10, 2025 5:04 pm
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DES MOINES - Even though there was a decade-plus in between them, there’s a thing with the Linn-Mar boys’ basketball program that doesn’t change.
The Lions win their quarterfinal game at the state tournament. Every single time.
Davis Kern scored 24 points, Tyler Hilton posted a double-double of 16 points and 17 rebounds, and second-ranked/second-seeded Linn-Mar finally got going offensively in the second half to beat No. 7 Waukee, 69-60, in a physical and sometimes chirpy Class 4A quarter at Wells Fargo Arena.
This was Linn-Mar’s first state tourney since 2012, its 11th overall. It now has advanced to the semifinals all 11 times.
Quite a streak.
“That’s a really good team we played,” Kern said. “We played them earlier this year, and we knew it was going to be a really good challenge.”
As Kern said, these teams played each other in the regular season, way back in early December, with Linn-Mar (22-2) winning a game with an almost identical final score (68-60). Perhaps that’s why there was a lot of contact and some player chatter back and forth in this one.
Both teams had technical fouls. Linn-Mar’s came with 7.7 seconds left and was on Kern, fouling him out, though the game already was in hand.
Waukee’s Evan Jacobson, who had a game-high 27 points, fell down backward at about mid-court as the two jogged from one end to the other. Kern stood over Jacobson and said something to him to get the ‘T.’
No personal foul or flop warning were given.
“Jacobson, he’s a really good player, a good athlete,” Kern said. “I mean, it’s a rivalry, honestly. He’s always coming at me, I’m always coming at him. Probably shouldn’t have said some stuff. Did some stuff I probably shouldn’t have done. I don’t know. He did, too.”
This was an offensively ugly game in the first half with Linn-Mar leading 19-18. A 7-0 run early in the third capped by a Kern dunk off transition gave the Lions a 28-19 edge from which Waukee (18-7) never could recover.
The 6-foot-9 South Dakota State signee scored 21 second-half points to add to his Metro-record career total. Linn-Mar made 16 of its 21 second-half field-goal attempts, with all five starters getting involved.
“The first half, we were really stagnant,” said Hilton, a 6-foot-7 junior. “Whenever Dave got the ball, we wouldn’t move. We were just kind of relying on Davis to basically lead us and score for us. We felt like at half we had a good conversation, the whole team. We were like ‘We all have got to step up.’ We couldn’t just go through Davis, (the ball) has got to go through all of us. That opens us Dave, which then opens us all up.”
“We moved bodies,” said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson. “I thought the first half, it was just kind of let’s throw it to Davis and let him go to work. Good teams are going to load (up on) him early. We finally got some bodies moving, some cutting.”
Payson Nietert added 13 points for Linn-Mar, making a 3-pointer in each quarter. The Lions led by as many as 17 in the fourth.
This was Linn-Mar’s 16th consecutive victory. It plays two-time defending 4A champ West Des Moines Valley (21-3) in a Wednesday night semifinal at 7:15.
“I know we’re experienced, but I thought we were a little tight,” Robertson said. “Hopefully now the tightness is gone, and we can just go for broke here. Have fun and enjoy it ... I think the best eight teams are here, and every game is going to be a dogfight.”
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AT DES MOINES
WAUKEE (60): Maverick Inman 2-9 1-2 6, Evan Jacobson 8-16 7-10 27, Jai White 5-16 1-5 12, Pete Craig 1-4 1-2 3, Max Roach 1-7 2-2 4, Carter Johnson 4-5 0-0 8. Totals 21-57 12-21 60.
LINN-MAR (69): Tyler Hilton 6-11 4-6 16, Davis Kern 7-14 9-13 24, Payson Nietert 4-6 1-2 13, Mason Matson 2-8 2-4 6, Trey Wright 3-5 1-2 7, Max Robertson 1-2 1-2 3, Karson Rains 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-48 18-29 69.
Halftime - Linn-Mar 19, Waukee 18. 3-point goals - Waukee 6-25 (Craig 0-3. White 1-6, Roach 0-2, Jacobson 4-7, Inman 1-7, Johnson 0-1), Linn-Mar 5-13 (Nietert 4-5, Wright 0-1, Hilton 0-1, Matson 0-3, Kern 1-2, Robertson 0-1). Rebounds - Waukee 30 (Inman 8), Linn-Mar 36 (Hilton 17). Total fouls - Waukee 20, Linn-Mar 14. Technical foul - White, Kern. Fouled out - Kern. Assists - Waukee 8 (Inman, Roach 3), Linn-Mar 13 (Hilton 4). Turnovers - Waukee 12, Linn-Mar 14.
Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
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