No. 6 Lions outlast Washington

MARION — The pace was a little faster than their liking. But a strong start, a slew of free throws and a few late stops carried the Linn-Mar Lions in their first tough test of the season.

Sixth-ranked Linn-Mar shot a whopping 45 foul shots, making 32, and held off Cedar Rapids Washington, 69-64, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls' basketball dandy Friday night at Linn-Mar High School.

'We played at their pace,' said Lions assistant coach Jeff Printy (head coach Jaime Brandt fell ill after the game). 'We gambled a little too much defensively, but we got some key stops at the end.'

Linn-Mar (5-0 overall, 4-0 MVC) jetted to a 14-0 lead before the Warriors (3-2, 2-2) chipped away.

Washington got within 34-26 by halftime, tied it at 49-49 early in the fourth quarter, then took its first and only lead, 52-51, when Anne Visser nailed a 3-pointer with 6:55 left.

The Lions regained the lead with seven straight points, then salted it away from the stripe. Linn-Mar made 12 of 15 free throws in the fourth quarter.

'We always work on free throws in practice,' said backup guard Ally Johnson, who made all six of her foul shots in a valuable 15-point performance. 'That helped a lot tonight.'

University of Iowa recruit Amanda Ollinger posted 19 points (despite a 5-of-17 shooting performance from the floor) and 14 rebounds. Her block and rebound led to a late free throw that made it a two-possession game.

Kamryn Finley added 13 points before fouling out. The teams combined for 46 fouls, 28 on Washington.

Linn-Mar buried the Warriors, 62-28, in last year's regional semifinal, and this one appeared on the same path through the first few minutes. Finley and Johnson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the game-opening 14-0 surge.

'That was the game right there,' said Washington Coach Frank Howell. 'But we came back. I loved the pace of the game. I think our perimeter quickness is going to cause some people some problems.'

Speedy guard Joniqua Clark paced the Warriors with 15 points. Vanessa Eniola added 11 points and six rebounds.

Washington hosts Moline (Ill.) Saturday. Linn-Mar's next game is Tuesday, a non-conference encounter with Iowa City High.

LINN-MAR 69, CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON 64

At Linn-Mar

CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON (64): Joniqua Clark 3-8 4-6 15, Anne Visser 3-11 1-1 9, Payton Bruner 1-4 2-2 4, Jessi Puk 1-5 1-2 3, Jayla Pledge-Johnson 4-9 1-2 9, Dominique Eniola 2-5 7-7 11, Brittany Hoeger 2-2 2-2 6, Caitlin Riley 1-4 0-0 3, Melanie Hoeger 0-1 0-0 0, Sandra Mia 2-4 0-1 4, Grace Carey 0-0 0-0. Totals 20-53 18-23 64.

LINN-MAR (69): Alie Akers 1-2 3-4 5, Lexi Frese 2-8 2-2 6, Brittney Lancial 1-1 2-6 4, Kamryn Finley 3-10 6-7 13, Amanda Ollinger 5-17 8-14 19, Ally Johnson 3-6 6-6 15, Megan Murphy 0-0 0-0 0, Carlu Spies 1-2 0-0 2, Claire Larson 0-2 5-6 5. Totals 16-48 32-45 69.

Halftime: Linn-Mar 34, Washington 26. 3-point goals: Washington 6-16 (Clark 3-5, Visser 2-5, Puk 0-3, Pledge-Johnson 0-1, Riley 1-2), Linn-Mar 5-19 (Akers 0-1, Finley 1-5, Ollinger 1-6, Johnson 3-6, Larson 0-1). Team fouls: Washington 28, Linn-Mar 18. Fouled out: Puk, Finley. Rebounds: Washington 35 (Visser, Eniola 6), Linn-Mar 39 (Ollinger 14). Assists: Washington 10 (Clark 3), Linn-Mar 9 (Lancial, Ollinger, Murphy 2). Steals: Washington 8 (Clark 4), Linn-Mar 10 (Ollinger 3). Turnovers: Washington 15, Linn-Mar 10.

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