It's 6 straight for Linn-Mar

By Jeff Johnson The Gazette CEDAR RAPIDS - Make it an even half-dozen for the Linn-Mar Lions. Looking the part of the second-ranked Class 4A team much of the way, Linn-Mar qualified for its sixth consecutive boys' basketball state tournament appearance with a 65-50 substate final win over Cedar Rapids Washington last night at the U.S. Cellular Center. Making it to Des Moines is the obvious goal for every team, but few programs actually can say it's realistic season after season after season. Linn-Mar has one of those programs. "That's impressive," said Linn-Mar freshman point guard Marcus Paige. "That shows you that all up and down the program, all the way down into the elementary schools, we work hard. They're all trying to get that goal, to go to state. That's the goal every year, and it's great to accomplish that." "It's six straight, and I told the guys, the seniors, that it never gets old," said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson. "It's the first time for a lot of these guys, so they're excited. Now we've just got to get ready for next week." Linn-Mar (21-2) won't find out its first-round opponent until tonight. The Lions' student section chanted "We want Ames," in reference to the unbeaten No. 1 Little Cyclones, but the bet is that wouldn't happen until the championship game, if both clubs get that far. If Linn-Mar can play as it did early in last night's game, it stands a good chance of getting that far. The Lions shot off to an 8-1 lead and never trailed Washington (16-7). "That was actually the big emphasis because we've been starting really slow," said Linn-Mar's Nate Hutcheson, who led his team with 20 points. "We let them back in it, but we really did want to get out early and make them play catch-up." "It's Linn-Mar, and you can't get behind them," said Washington sophomore Josh Oglesby, who had a team-high 16 points. "When they get a run going, it's usually a big run." Linn-Mar limited Washington to 38-percent shooting from the field and out-rebounded the Warriors, 32-16. Center Zach Bohannon had a game-high 11 rebounds for the Lions, adding 12 points. Paige had 13 points and Drew Crawford 11. Despite its shooting and rebounding woes, Washington still made a late run, whittling what was as high as a 19-point deficit to five with about 3:30 left. Linn-Mar regained its composure, however, and was able to make its free throws (17 for 22 in the game) to extend its lead and pull away for good."We dug ourselves a hole," said Washington Coach Brad Metzger. "But give our kids credit for getting back within two possessions there in the fourth quarter." "We got off to the start we wanted," Robertson said. "We let them back in a little bit, we didn't handle their pressure real well. But once our backs were against the wall, I was proud of the way the guys responded."