DES MOINES — Instead of dwelling on what could have been, the Linn-Mar Lions chose to think about what could be Saturday afternoon. Metro basketball fans should be doing the same thing.
Linn-Mar beat Sioux City East, 62-57, in the Class 4A consolation game at Wells Fargo Arena to finish its season 24-2. The Lions tied a record held by Cedar Rapids Regis with their seventh consecutive state tournament trip and set a record with their seventh straight finish of fourth or better.
“I didn’t know that,” Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson. “I …

Here they are:
SICL All Conference Teams

DES MOINES — Ladies and gentlemen, here’s your overwhelming favorite for the Class 2A state basketball championship in 2011. If it’s fair to look a year ahead.
The Western Christian Wolfpack pocketed their sixth title last night, preventing Solon from a 2A repeat with a 58-45 victory at Wells Fargo Arena.
The almost overwhelming thing about this WC team is that there was one senior of any significance. Of course, point guard Bryce Groeneweg was the all-tournament captain, so he’ll be missed.
But everyone else is back, and that includes a lot of …

DES MOINES — The Linn-Mar Lions lived by the line and died by the line. All in two days.
“We just didn’t convert,” summed up Coach Chris Robertson said after his team had its 22-game win streak snapped by Southeast Polk, 41-38, in a Class 4A state tournament semifinal Friday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena. “We kind of shot ourselves out of the game.”
And not just from the free-throw line, though we’ll start there.
Linn-Mar (23-2) was an impressive 24 of 30 in its quarterfinal victory Wednesday night over Clinton, but things …

DES MOINES — Greg McDermott has his own stuff to worry about.
His Iowa State Cyclones just had another frustrating year. Center Craig Brackins announced Friday he’s entering the NBA draft, and forward Marquis Gilstrap’s attempt at an extra season in Ames was nixed by the NCAA.
Still, the ISU head coach took time to voice his support of beleaguered colleague Todd Lickliter. The Iowa Hawkeyes head coach has been the subject of intense fan and media scrutiny about his future.
“It’s tough to do your job when there’s those kind of rumors …

Sportswriter Jeff Linder will provide live coverage of tonight’s Class 3A state championship game between Solon (25-2) and Hull Western Christian (24-3).
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Follow the live coverage below.
Solon vs. Hull Western Christian: Class 3A basketball final

Sportswriter Jeff Linder will provide live coverage of today’s Class 4A semifinal basketball game between Linn-Mar (23-1) and Southeast Polk (20-3). The game begins at 3:15 p.m.
Linn-Mar vs. Southeast Polk: Class 4A basketball semifinal

DES MOINES — Maybe this will turn out to be another Willis Reed deal.
For those of you not initiated with the legendary NBA tale, Reed spurred the New York Knicks to victory in Game 7 of the 1970 finals despite a torn muscle in his thigh that kept him out of Game 6.
It’s a back injury, specifically a stress fracture of the fifth lumbar vertebrae, that has afflicted Western Christian leading scorer Tyler Wolterstorff at the worst possible time. The Wolves play Solon in tonight’s Class 2A state tournament championship …

DES MOINES — Their top six players from last season graduated. So did 90 percent of their scoring.
But these are the Solon Spartans, and all they do in most sports is win, baby.
“There were a lot of doubters who thought we’d only finish about halfway up our conference,” Tanner Wentzien said after his team out-defensed IKM-Manning, 42-34, in a Class 2A state tournament semifinal Thursday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena. “But we won our conference, and now we’re playing for a state title.”
The Spartans (25-2) go for two 2A titles …