Lions head into break with a roar

CEDAR RAPIDS - They go into the break the way they always seem to. These Linn-Mar Lions are a dangerous basketball team.

'We're in a good place,” said Linn-Mar's Lane Halupnik after a 66-54 win last night against Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Linn-Mar lost its opener to Waukee by 17 points, playing against a physically large team that it doesn't particularly match up well against. But the next five games have been convincing Ws, all by double figures.

This win didn't come easy. The teams were tied at the half, 26-26, but a dominating third quarter defensively and offensively established a double-digit lead Prairie (3-3) couldn't carve into enough.

'I thought we started the game really well, the first few possessions, but then, man, I think our lack of offense killed our defense,” said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson. 'It was just a bad combination. We stopped guarding, then we didn't move the ball and shot quick and let them right back in the game and actually got behind.

'We got on them a little bit at halftime about playing defense and moving the ball. They went out and did it, and that was the difference.”

Everyone knows the big dogs for Linn-Mar are guards Jordan Bohannon and Nic Uhlir, and they barked plenty loudly again here with 18 and 16-points, respectively. But Halupnik added 13, including a couple of 3s in that pivotal third-quarter run.

The Lions were 11 of 19 from distance, making one more of those shots than two-pointers.

Prairie also was hot from the circle, finishing 7 of 15. Austin Fisher splashed three 3s and had a team-high 15 points.

The Hawks got behind early, trailing 17-10 after a quarter but rallied for a second-quarter lead.

'There was a three or four-minute stretch where we let Bohannon get loose, then Uhlir got loose for a couple,” said first-year Coach Jeremy Rickertsen.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com