It appeared to be personal between Jordan Bohannon and Cordell Pemsl.

The longtime AAU teammates met as high school opponents for one final time on Friday night and the future Iowa Hawkeye teammates put on quite a show.

Bohannon scored 35 points and Pemsl finished with 34, but in the end it was Bohannon and his Linn-Mar teammates holding on for a 90-87 Mississippi Valley Conference win over Pemsl and his mates from Dubuque Wahlert at Linn-Mar.

"Both of them did a great job of leading their teams," Linn-Mar coach Chris Robertson said. "You'd expect that. Both of them are four-year guys and they have a lot of pride.

"Those were the two tough match-ups," Robertson continued. "We had a hard time guarding him and they were going to have a hard time guarding Jordan."

There was also a scary moment for both players with just under to minutes remaining and Wahlert making a charge in an effort to erase what had been a 14-point Lion lead early in the fourth quarter.

Bohannon made a move around a Wahlert defender and headed for the basket where he collided with Pemsl, sending both all-staters to the floor clutching their knees. Pemsl has had a history of problems with his right knee and was wearing a brace throughout the game."

"I had an open lane and Cordell kind of slid under me," Bohannon said of the collision. "We kinda knocked knees and you could tell at first we were both in some pain. I think we more just shocked each other."

Both players walked off the court and returned a few seconds later for the finish of the game.

"Once I got out there and saw that they just knocked knees, I felt a little better," Robertson said. "When something like that happens, it kinda takes your breath away at first."

The game was an offensive show from the start. Linn-Mar (9-3, 7-1 Valley Division) found the range from distance while Wahlert fed Pemsl early and often during a back-and-forth first quarter that saw the Golden Eagles (9-4, 4-4) lead 26-23 after the first eight minutes..

Linn-Mar jumped into a zone defense in the second quarter it slowed Wahlert a bit, allowing the Lions to take a 42-41 halftime lead.

Wahlert grabbed a 47-44 lead in the third quarter, only to see the Lions go on a 10-0 run, the final three baskets coming as a result of solid defense, turning the Golden Eagles over. A spectacular tip-in from reserve Reese Phillips in the final 20 seconds gave the Lions a 63-53 lead entering the final quarter.

Phillips, who finished with a career-high 10 points, and fellow junior Tyler Voves provided the Lions with a much-needed spark, especially on the defensive end.

"Both of those guys have been giving us really good energy off the bench," Robertson said. "Reese is just kinda sneaky. He finds little holes and gaps and really gets after it defensively. Tyler plays with great pace on offense and this is something we really need."

The Lions held a 69-55 lead after a Bohannon basket with 5:45 remaining. Wahlert then went to its size as 6-foot-9 Pemsl and 6-7 Riley Till started imposing their wills on the inside. A lay-in from Till cut the Linn-Mar lead to 74-72 with 2:14 remaining.

"We had a couple sloppy possessions and turned it over," Robertson said. "Then those games are tough late. We know we're going to get fouled and go and shoot two free those then get back and try and guard. They get a running start and it is hard to keep them out of the lane. Pemsl gets a couple of (conventional 3-point plays) and all of the sudden it is a close game."

The key play of the night may have come from Lion senior Beau Klostermann. After a missed 3-point attempt from Riley Murphy appeared to be headed out of bounds, Klostermann chased it down and threw it back in to Bohannon at the top of the key, where he dropped in his fifth and final 3-point basket of the night to put the Lions back up by five.

"I didn't really think about the time," Bohannon said. "I was open, and I just let it go. I don't know if it was a good shot, but it went in."

Wahlert kept up the pressure and had a chance to tie after Jordan Brandt hit 1 of 2 free throws with 16 seconds remaining.

The Golden Eagles tried to set up sharpshooter David Wedewer for the tying shot. His first try was short and rebounded by Bohannon who fell to the floor and was called for travelling with three seconds remaining. The ball again went to Wedewer in the corner, but his shot ahead of the horn came up short.

"We knew he would probably be the one to take the last shot," Bohannon said. "He's going to be a really good player at the next level, but we just made sure to switch every screen and not let him get the shot off."

Jared Printy added 16 points for the Lions. Klostermann finished with 14 and Murphy had 10. Wedewer had 21 for Wahlert, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A.

Friday's win capped a solid week for the Class 4A No. 8 Lions, who won a tough overtime decision on Tuesday at Ankeny after a tough four-point loss last Friday at Iowa City West.

"We have a tough one coming up Tuesday against (Class 3A No. 3) Xavier," Robertson said. "Hopefully we can keep it going.

WAHLERT (87): Iwowari 2 0-0 4, Timp 0 0-0 0, Schmitt 5 0-0 12, Wedewer 6 4-4 21, White 1 0-0 2 , Kluck 2 0-0 4, Till 4 2-3 10, Pemsl 14 6-7 34. Totals: 34 12-14 87.

LINN-MAR (90): Printy 6 1-2 16, Murphy 3 2-2 10, Phillips 4 2-3 10, Bohannon 13 4-4 35 , Klostermann 5 2-2 14, Voves 1 0-0 2, Brandt 0 3-4 3. Totals: 32 14-17 90.

Halftime - Linn-Mar 42, Wahlert 41. 3-point goals - Wahlert 7 (Schmitt 2, Wedewer 5), Linn-Mar 12 (Printy 3, Murphy 2, Bohannon 5, Klostermann 2). Total fouls - Wahlert 17, Linn-Mar 18. Fouled out - Klostermann. Technical fouls - none.