Kendyl Aarhus’ hot stretch helps push Marion past Linn-Mar, 51-43

MARION — The cool kids would call this a “heater.”

And for a three-minute surge, Kendyl Aarhus was on one.

“I would say if I hit (a 3-pointer), sometimes I’ll hit another one or two,” she said. “I get them in spurts.”

Aarhus erupted for 14 points in that pivotal stretch in the third quarter, helping push Class 4A 13th-ranked Marion past Linn-Mar, 51-43, in a non-conference girls’ basketball game Tuesday night at Linn-Mar High School.

“That’s what she does,” Marion Coach Henry Martinson said. “Sometimes, she forces a couple, but you’ve got to live with it because she has great range.”

A sophomore, Aarhus had two points at halftime. She finished with 20, and Marion squared its record at 1-1.

With the Wolves in front 26-24, Aarhus nailed back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers. Then after a layup, she hit three of four free throws to make stretch the advantage to 40-30.

Linn-Mar (0-3) got within five points on two occasions after that.

Marion committed 15 turnovers before halftime, and Linn-Mar led throughout most of the first half.

The Lions’ largest advantage was 12-4, and it was 19-12 before the Wolves closed the half with seven in a row to draw even at intermission.

The Wolves valued the ball much better in the second half, turning it over only five times.

“We had to change our press-break,” Aarhus said. “Our chemistry got better in the second half.”

Another sophomore, Ellie Morris added 15 points for Marion on 5-of-9 shooting from the arc and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Lanie Ernzen paced Linn-Mar with 16 points and eight rebounds. Emerson McCormick and Maya Seim added 10 points. Harleigh Titus scored just two, but contributed seven rebounds and six assists.

Marion 51, Linn-Mar 43

At Linn-Mar

MARION (51): Kendyl Aarhus 5-12 7-8 20, Addison Eiben 0-1 2-4 2, Grace Whalen 0-2 0-0 0, Harlow Griffin 4-10 1-2 9, Ellie Morris 5-11 0-0 15, Rylee Boggess 2-3 0-1 4, Braelin Wieseler 0-1 0-0 0, Dado Gassama 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-41 11-14 51.

LINN-MAR (43): Maddy Blandford 1-8 2-2 5, Emerson McCormick 3-6 4-8 10, Harleigh Titus 1-9 0-0 2, Maya Seim 3-13 2-2 10, Lanie Ernzen 6-12 1-1 6, Reggan Borchers 0-1 0-0 0, Lucy Axeen 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 14-51 9-13 43.

Marion 10 9 24 8 — 51

Linn-Mar 14 5 19 5 — 43

3-point goals: Marion 8-22 (Aarhus 3-9, Eiben 0-1, Morris 5-9, Boggess 0-1, Wieseler 0-1, Gassama 0-1), Linn-Mar 6-23 (Blandford 1-4, McCormick 0-1, Titus 0-3, Seim 2-8, Ernzen 3-5, Axeen 0-2). Team fouls: Marion 13, Linn-Mar 14. Fouled out: Blandford. Rebounds: Marion 31 (Morris 7), Linn-Mar 34 (Ernzen 8). Assists: Marion 11 (Eiben 6), Linn-Mar 11 (Titus 6). Steals: Marion 11 (Whalen 3), Linn-Mar 10 (Blandford 4). Turnovers: Marion 20, Linn-Mar 19.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com