Miller’s milestone awaits

Don't force it, don't delay it.

That's how Nicole Miller views a scoring milestone that now is firmly within grasp.

'I try not to think about it,” she said. 'Once I start thinking about it, I'll probably miss every shot.”

A senior at North Linn High School, Miller needs 20 points to become the 17th five-player girls' basketball player in Iowa to reach 2,000 for a career.

It's likely to happen Friday, when the Class 2A third-ranked Lynx (17-1 overall, 9-0 Tri-Rivers East) travel to Central City (1-16, 0-10).

'People are saying I should score 18, then get it at our next game, at home (next Tuesday against Maquoketa Valley),” said Miller, a Drake University signee and a strong candidate for Miss Iowa Basketball 2015. 'But I just want to get it done with. I don't want to make it a big deal.”

Lynx Coach Brian Wheatley said, 'We'll just let it happen when it happens in the natural flow of the game. But it's a rare deal, a pretty special accomplishment, and we'll take some time to honor it at some point.”

Miller has been the central cog in North Linn's recent success. She scored 335 points as a freshman, 499 as a sophomore, 657 as a junior.

This year, her 489 points in 18 games averages out to 27.2 per game, third most in the state.

North Linn is 85-9 the past four years. The Lynx are likely to win their third straight league title. They reached the 2A state semifinals last year.

'It's hard to put Nicole's impact into words,” Wheatley said. 'The amount of success we've had, the games we've won ... it speaks for itself, and Nicole has been a major part of that. This group of seniors has really raised the bar with our program.”

Miller is one of nine seniors on the North Linn roster.

'We've always been successful together, in all of our sports,” Miller said. 'I'm so fortunate to have teammates like that; they're so unselfish, so competitive. Our minds are on the same page.”

Miller recorded the first triple-double of her career Tuesday - 26 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists - in a win over East Buchanan.

OLLINGER MAKES HER RETURN

It wouldn't be accurate to call Linn-Mar's game at Cedar Rapids Jefferson a 'homecoming” for Amanda Ollinger.

Her home has moved.

Linn-Mar visits Jefferson on Friday, and it will be Ollinger's first game in the J-Hawks' gym since she transferred to Linn-Mar last month.

'That's going to be really tough emotionally,” Ollinger said in December, the day after her decision.

A junior and a University of Iowa commitment, Ollinger is averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game since her move.

Both teams have struggled lately. Linn-Mar (10-7 overall, 7-2 MVC) has lost six straight games. Jefferson (6-10, 4-5) is 1-7 since Ollinger's departure.

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