Linn-Mar Girls Basketball

Cougars 7th, Lions 8th in girls rankings

The Kennedy girls basketball team fell from No. 6 to No. 7 in the latest Class 5A rankings, released Thursday by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Linn-Mar claimed the No. 8 spot in Class 5A, moving up from No. 10 last week. Washington stayed 15th.

Marion maintained its No. 7 ranking in Class 4A from a week ago.

CLASS 5A

1. Ankeny Centennial, 2. Johnston, 3. Iowa City High, 4. Cedar Falls, 5. Waukee, 6. Indianola, 7. Kennedy, 8. Linn-Mar, 9. Davenport North, 10. Southeast Polk, 11. West Des Moines Valley, 12. Iowa City West, 13. Dowling Catholic, 14. Pleasant Valley, 15. Cedar Rapids Washington.

CLASS 4A

1. Harlan, 2. Western Dubuque, 3. Council Bluffs Lewis Central, 4. Keokuk, 5. Ballard, 6. North Scott, 7. Marion, 8. Pella, 9. Fairfield, 10. Mason City, 11. Waverly-Shell Rock, 12. Grinnell, 13. Dallas Center-Grimes, 14. Boone, 15. Central DeWitt.

Ollinger, Finley lead Lions by J-Hawks

When their team needed them most, Linn-Mar’s two stars came out bright Friday night.

First, senior Amanda Ollinger single-handedly wiped out a fast start by the energized visitors from Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

Then, as the scrappy J-Hawks made a fourth-quarter rally to pull within three points, steady sophomore Kamryn Finley swished seven free throws down the stretch to preserve a 55-44 Lion victory.

"I started out kind of slow,” said Finley, who made just one basket in the first half and another in the third quarter. “My shot wasn’t falling.

"When I started driving to the hoop and getting to the line for free throws, that sort of got my confidence back.”

For her part, Ollinger scored 18 of her team’s 20 first-quarter points (including the first dozen in a row) to assume a lead after a make-shift starting line-up on senior night spotted the J-Hawks to a 12-0 opening spurt.

"She had a fantastic first quarter,” Linn-Mar coach Jaime Brandt said. “It was special to start those five seniors. But Amanda really took over when she came in and gave us a spark when we needed it.”

Ollinger made just one basket and three free throws the rest of the way but made her presence felt with 23 points, 12 rebounds and six steals.

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Kennedy girls fall; Lions, Warriors climb

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy girls basketball team dropped from No. 1 all the way down to No. 6 in the new Class 5A rankings Thursday by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Kennedy (15-2) lost last week to Cedar Falls, which used the victory to jump from 10th to fourth in the rankings. Ankeny Centennial is the top-ranked team in Class 5A this week.

The Linn-Mar Lions (12-4) jumped from 13th to 10th in the Class 5A rankings. The Washington Warriors (11-6) claimed the 15th and final spot in the poll.

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No. 12 Lions hold off Xavier

Just a few short years ago, Tom Lilly battled against Jamie Printy when she was a star player for the Linn-Mar Lions.

Now Lilly is battling against Jamie (Printy) Brandt in her new role as the young girls basketball coach of the Lions, continuing their rivalry and friendship on a different level.

Brandt and the Lions won their latest confrontation with Lilly and the Xavier Saints, 47-41, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game Friday night at Linn-Mar.

When it was over, Lilly congratulated Brandt on a job well done and they both left the floor with smiles.

Lilly has won more than 500 games and four state titles at Xavier, and now he's competing against a new generation of coaches like Brandt, who comes from a successful basketball family.

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