Linn-Mar clicks in all areas of a 63-42 girls’ basketball win over Jefferson

CEDAR RAPIDS — Pick an area of the game. Any area at all.

Linn-Mar won it.

The Lions defended. They rebounded. And, boy, did they share the ball.

Fueled by 19 assists and a big run to start each half, Class 5A No. 15 Linn-Mar ran past Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 63-42, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls’ basketball game Tuesday night at Jefferson High School.

“Our defense was locked in,” Lions Coach Chad Tompkins said. “We played Muscatine on Saturday, and I wasn’t very happy with our defensive effort.”

Three days later, and there was virtually nothing to nitpick. OK, 16 turnovers were a little much, but that’s relatively minor.

“I think we did really well overall,” said senior Zoe Kennedy, who scored 15 of her game-high 24 points in the second half. “We had a lot of assists. Rebounding ... I don’t think they had many offensive rebounds.”

The final damage on the glass was 38-21, Lions.

Linn-Mar (4-1 overall, 2-0 MVC) embarked on a 16-0 run in the final 6 minutes of the first quarter, then added a 15-2 surge in the third period.

Now, back to that assist number. Three players had four or more, led by five from freshman Dreya Kern. If they counted assists for free-throw opportunities, the Lions’ total would have been in the mid-20s.

“I really don’t think these girls care who gets the points,” Tompkins said. “We get the ball to all five girls’ hands, and I think they all understand what a good shot is.”

A future Division-II player at Western Colorado, Kennedy hit 8 of 13 shots and 4 for 5 from the line.

Ellie Daubenmier added 12 points; Taylor Brunson and Tessa Casebolt tallied seven apiece.

Casebolt grabbed 10 rebounds, and Brunson registered seven boards, four assists and seven steals in an excellent floor game.

Jefferson (2-3, 0-2) dropped its third straight game.

“We need to keep developing the young kids and continue to teach the seniors,” first-year J-Hawks coach Matt Hoeppner said. “These girls show up every day. We’ve had a couple of tough losses, but they’re always ready for the next game.”

Emma Slings posted 14 points and five rebounds for Jefferson.

The J-Hawks carved an 18-2 first-quarter deficit to 34-19, but the Lions’ second surge was a killer.

Linn-Mar 63, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 42

At C.R. Jefferson

LINN-MAR (63): Ellie Daubenmier 4-11 4-4 12, Tessa Casebolt 3-6 1-1 7, Taylor Brunson 3-5 1-2 7, Meredith Koenen 1-3 0-0 2, Zoe Kennedy 8-13 4-5 24, Dreya Kern 1-2 0-1 3, Emily Koranda 1-2 0-0 2, Lauren Haefner 1-2 0-0 3, Riley Cronin 0-0 0-0 0, Brittney Comer 0-0 0-0 0, Carly Schrum 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 23-45 10-13 63.

CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON (42): Aubrey Luvan 1-4 0-0 3, Danielle Boche 0-2 0-0 0, Madie Denlinger 2-5 2-3 7, Jariah Harris 3-8 0-1 6, Emma Slings 5-14 4-4 14, Ava Erger 0-2 0-0 0, Sophia Kevitt 0-0 0-0 0, Madison Williams 1-1 0-0 2, Camryn Abrams 0-2 0-0 0, Madison Mercil 2-3 0-0 4, Lillian Ulrich 0-1 0-0 0, Ryiah Nickell 1-1 0-0 3, Morgan Hewitt 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 16-44 6-8 42.

Linn-Mar 18 13 15 17 — 63

C.R. Jefferson 2 19 9 12 — 42

3-point goals: Linn-Mar 7-15 (Daubenmier 0-1, Brunson 0-1, Koenen 0-1, Kennedy 4-9, Kern 1-1, Haefner 1-1, Schrum 1-1), Jefferson 4-19 (Luvan 1-3, Boche 0-1, Denlinger 1-4, Harris 0-2, Slings 0-2, Erger 0-2, Abrams 0-2, Ulrich 0-1, Nickell 1-1, Hewitt 1-1). Team fouls: Linn-Mar 11, Jefferson 11. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Linn-Mar 38 (Casebolt 10), Jefferson 21 (Harris, Slings 5). Assists: Linn-Mar 19 (Kern 5), Jefferson 8 (Harris, Slings 2). Steals: Linn-Mar 12 (Brunson 7), Jefferson 9 (Boche 4). Turnovers: Linn-Mar 16, Jefferson 19.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com