Linn-Mar pulls away from Dowling for state bid

MARION — The gym had quieted and emptied, and Jaime Brandt walked to the scorer's table.

'Do you know what I'm supposed to do with this?' she asked, holding the blue state-qualifier pennant.

Embrace it. Enjoy it.

Megan Murphy drained a school-record seven 3-pointers, and sixth-ranked Linn-Mar pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat No. 10 West Des Moines Dowling, 61-49, in a Class 5A girls' basketball regional final Tuesday night at Linn-Mar High School.

'Murph, she's amazing,' University of Iowa recruit Amanda Ollinger said after letting go of a tearful embrace with her mother, Bonnie. 'When she's hot, she's hot.'

Murphy's long-distance show sent the Lions (19-4) to the state tournament for the first time since 2011. They'll face No. 5 Indianola (22-1) in the first round at 1:30 p.m. next Wednesday.

• Girls' state basketball tournament brackets

'It's very emotional,' sophomore guard Kamryn Finley said. 'We just came out determined to win. I was thinking about this game all day, but Coach gave us the same normal speech as always, and I think that settled us down.'

The game was a battle of Linn-Mar surges and Dowling courter-surges, but the Maroons (15-8) couldn't answer the Lions' final run, and they didn't identify Murphy all night.

Murphy came off the bench to hoist 15 shots, all from distance.

'I love the 3-point line,' she said. 'My teammates kept believing in me and kept giving me the ball in position to shoot.'

Murphy broke the school's single-game trey record of six, held by Brandt (then Jaime Printy) and Ollinger.

'She was amazing,' Finley said. 'She was pumped up before the game, chest-bumping anybody she could find.'

Her sixth deep ball gave the Lions the lead for good, 43-40, to start the fourth quarter. Her seventh made it 50-44 with 4:55 to go. Finley scored Linn-Mar's next eight points — on a drive and six free throws in seven attempts — and the Lions won going away, denying the Maroons a fourth straight state trip.

As a player, Brandt advanced to state three times. This is her first time as a coach.

'I wanted this so bad, but not for me,' she said. 'I remember how much fun the state tournament was when I played, and I wanted these girls to have the chance to experience it.'

Murphy's 21 points paced all scorers. Finley added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Ollinger tacked on 14 points and nine boards.

Linn-Mar scored the first eight points of the game, then Dowling got even at 28-all by halftime. The Lions tallied the first nine points of the second half, but it was 40-apiece by the end of the third quarter.

A shift on the backboards helped pave the way for the Lions' final surge. After getting outrebounded 28-17 through three quarters, Linn-Mar owned the glass by a 12-5 margin in the fourth.

Anna Wanek scored 12 points for Dowling. Becca Hittner, a Drake University recruit, added 11.

Ollinger transferred from Cedar Rapids Jefferson to Linn-Mar in the middle of her junior season. There have been bumps in the road, but Tuesday made it worth it.

'Whenever there's change, you're going to have ups and downs,' she said. 'I can't thank my teammates and coaches enough for making this happen. 

LINN-MAR 61, WEST DES MOINES DOWLING 49

At Linn-Mar

WEST DES MOINES DOWLING (49): Emma Gaber 2-7 0-0 6, Katelyn Moses 2-10 2-2 7, Anna Wanek 6-10 0-0 12, Josie Filer 3-7 1-2 7, Becca Hittner 3-15 5-6 11, Hallie Ketcham 1-4 0-0 3, Jacey Koethe 1-2 1-1 3. Totals 18-55 9-11 49.

LINN-MAR (61): Alie Akers 0-1 0-0 0, Lexi Frese 2-4 2-2 6, Brittney Lancial 0-2 1-2 1, Kamryn Finley 5-7 8-9 19, Amanda Ollinger 5-9 2-2 14, Ally Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Megan Murphy 7-15 0-0 21, Carly Spies 0-1 0-2 0, Claire Larson 0-0 0-1 0. Totals 19-40 13-18 61.

Halftime: Linn-Mar 28, Dowling 28. 3-point goals: Dowling 4-20 (Gaber 2-4, Moses 1-5, Wanek 0-1, Filer 0-2, Hittner 0-6, Ketcham 1-2), Linn-Mar 10-22 (Akers 0-1, Lancial 0-1, Finley 1-1, Ollinger 2-3, Johnson 0-1, Murphy 7-15). Team fouls: Dowling 19, Linn-Mar 12. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Dowling 33 (Filer, Hittner 6), Linn-Mar 29 (Finley 10). Assists: Dowling 5 (five with 1), Linn-Mar 10 (Johnson 3). Steals: Dowling 3 (three with 1), Linn-Mar 1 (Ollinger). Turnovers: Dowling 7, Linn-Mar 6.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com