Linn-Mar's Ollinger asserts herself, and Lancial distributes against West

MARION — Six-foot-1 and solid, Amanda Ollinger cuts an imposing figure.

Too imposing for his team, B.J. Mayer said.

'We got inside, and everybody just kind of shied away from her,' said Mayer, girls' basketball coach at Iowa City West. 'We were looking for her to block shots, and we missed a lot of layups because of her.'

Ollinger posted 16 points and 17 rebounds and made life difficult for West defensively, leading Class 5A 12th-rated Linn-Mar to a 61-44 Mississippi Valley Conference triumph Friday night at Linn-Mar High School.

'It's been a roller-coaster type of season,' said Ollinger, a University of Iowa recruit. 'We started the season strong, then we hit a bump. I think that bump will make us tougher in the future.'

Brittney Lancial added 14 points and seven assists, and the Lions (9-3 overall, 6-2 MVC) connected on 10 3-point shots in 22 attempts.

'The biggest thing tonight is that we played as a team,' Lancial said. 'When we play as a team, we can't be guarded. We have so many people that can make plays.'

The Lions spotted No. 13 West (8-4, 5-2) the first four points, then scored the next eight and led the rest of the way.

'We took good shots tonight,' said Linn-Mar Coach Jaime Brandt. 'You see one shot go in, and your confidence grows. Hopefully, this gets us going.'

Four different Lions hit 3-pointers in the third quarter as they extended a seven-point halftime lead to 45-29. West got within seven points early in the fourth quarter, then Ollinger scored eight points in a 10-0 Linn-Mar run that ended West's hopes.

Ollinger's board work staked the Lions to a 37-24 rebounding advantage.

Lancial and Ally Johnson (10 points) both hit 3 of 5 shots from beyond the arc. When Lancial wasn't shooting, she was setting up others.

'She's one of the most unselfish players I've ever seen,' Brandt said. 'She has what it takes to be a true point guard. She made great decisions tonight. I'm very proud of her.'

Rachael Saunders led West with 11 points. Freshman Emma Koch added nine in her first start.

Linn-Mar hosts Pleasant Valley on Tuesday. West entertains Bettendorf.

LINN-MAR 61, IOWA CITY WEST 44

At Linn-Mar

IOWA CITY WEST (44): Rachael Saunders 3-8 0-0 11, Maddie Huinker 1-3 0-0 2, Logan Cook 2-9 0-0 4, Jessie Harder 0-2 0-0 0, Emma Koch 3-8 3-4 9, Lauren Zacharias 1-7 2-3 5, Maddie Fay 0-3 0-0 0, Katie McGrane 2-3 0-2 5, Cailyn Morgan 1-3 5-7 7, Paige Beckner 0-1 1-2 1, Bailey Nock 0-1 0-0 0, Andrea Morgan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-48 11-18 44.

LINN-MAR (61): Alie Akers 1-4 1-2 4, Lexi Frese 4-5 0-0 8, Brittney Lancial 3-5 5-6 14, Kamryn Finley 2-7 0-0 4, Amanda Ollinger 5-9 4-4 16, Carly Spies 1-2 0-2 2, Megan Murphy 1-5 0-0 3, Ally Johnson 3-6 1-2 10, Allie Noggle 0-0 0-0 0, Claire Larson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-43 11-16 61.

Halftime: Linn-Mar 31, West 24. 3-point goals: West 5-19 (Saunders 3-4, Huinker 0-1, Cook 0-1, Harder 0-2, Koch 0-2, Zacharias 1-2, Fay 0-3, McGrane 1-1, C.Morgan 0-1, Beckner 0-1, Nock 0-1), Linn-Mar 10-22 (Akers 1-2, Lancial 3-5, Finley 0-2, Ollinger 2-3, Murphy 1-5, Johnson 3-5). Team fouls: West 15, Linn-Mar 11. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: West 24 (Zacharias 4), Linn-Mar 37 (Ollinger 17). Assists: West 4 (Huinker 2), Linn-Mar 13 (Lancial 7). Steals: West 9 (C.Morgan 2), Linn-Mar 5 (five with 1). Turnovers: West 9, Linn-Mar 13.

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