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 …

Linn-Mar junior Kiah Stokes has been selected as the 2010 Gatorade Iowa Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-3 post led Linn-Mar to a 26-0 record and the Class 4A state championship. She averaged 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.1 blocks per game. She clicked for 20 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks in the Lions’ 38-35 win over Des Moines East in the state final.
“I didn’t know I was going to get this,” she said. “I thought it was an award only for seniors. I was very surprised. I …

Southeast Polk High School has suspended a starting player on the boys’ basketball team while the Rams play in the state tournament.
School officials say Tony Sandquist must sit out two games for violating the student conduct code last month for attending a party where alcohol was present.
The decision came on Wednesday, hours before the Rams beat West Des Moines Dowling in a Class 4-A quarterfinal game. The Rams face Marion Linn-Mar on Friday.
School officials told Sandquist on March 1 that he would …

DES MOINES — Have you ever seen a bunch of Lions line dance?
No, that’s not a punch line to a bad joke. It’s the tale of this Class 4A state tournament quarterfinal.
The Linn-Mar Lions lived and made Clinton die at the free-throw line in their 67-60 Class 4A state tournament quarterfinal victory last night at Wells Fargo Arena.
Linn-Mar (23-1) went 24 for 30 from the charity stripe, 19 of 22 in the second half, to finally subdue a scrappy bunch of River Kings and keep its impressive quarters record intact. …

CLASS 4A QUARTERFINALS
CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON (14-8) vs. AMES (24-0), 1:45 p.m.: The Warriors will be heavy underdogs to an Ames squad that won last year’s 4A title and has notched 50 wins in a row. Harrison Barnes averages 26.9 ppg and 10.5 rpg and is a North Carolina recruit. Doug McDermott, a Northern Iowa recruit and son of Iowa State basketball coach Greg, averages 20.5 ppg and 7.8 rpg. The Little Cyclones aren’t so little, going 6-8, 6-8, 6-7 and 6-4 in the starting lineup … Washington’s big two-some all …

CEDAR RAPIDS — You get this from Marcus Paige.
“He’s something else.”
 And this from Josh Oglesby.
 “He’s really good. That’s about all you can say.”
There’s been more said about Harrison Barnes. A lot more.
The Ames superstar is considered the top college recruit in the country and perhaps the best prep boys’ basketball player in Iowa history. The consensus is he could have jumped straight to the NBA next year but decided to play at least one season at North Carolina.
Linn-Mar’s Paige and Cedar Rapids Washington’s Oglesby have played with or against the …

THE TEAMS
Team (W-L) Apps Titles
Ames (24-0) 19 7
C.R. Jefferson (18-4) 8 1
C.R. Washington (14-8) 16 1
Clinton (17-6) 9 1
Linn-Mar (22-1) 8 3
Sioux City East (20-3) 14 2
Southeast Polk (19-3) 5 0
W.D.M. Dowling (17-7) 12 2
SCORING LEADERS Avg.
Harrison Barnes (Ames) 26.9
Kody Ingle (SEP) 23.8
Jarrod Uthoff (CRJ) 21.5
Doug McDermott (Ames) 20.5
Adam Woodbury (SCE) 17.4
Matt Bohannon (L-M) 17.4
Josh Oglesby (CRW) 16.3
Jordan Thomas (SCE) 15.7
David Johnson (Clinton) 15.5
REBOUNDING LEADERS Avg.
Adam Woodbury (SCE) 12.3
Harrison Barnes (Ames) 10.5
Jarrod Uthoff (CRJ) 10.2
Jeff Sponder (SCE) 8.8
Doug McDermott (Ames) 7.8
David Johnson (Clinton) 7.8
PREDICTIONS
Quarterfinals
Ames 65, C.R. Washington 45
Sioux City East …

DES MOINES — One team. One singular goal.
Throughout the season and all those wins, the postgame responses from the Linn-Mar Lions were generally the same.
Nice win, they would say, sometimes with a shrug. But it doesn’t mean much now. What matters is later.
Later has come and gone. That singular goal has been achieved.
Linn-Mar captured the Class 4A girls’ state basketball championship Saturday, capping a 26-0 season with a 38-35 win over Des Moines East.
“They had a focus. They had a goal,” said Linn-Mar Coach Mike Brandt. “From Day 1, they …

DES MOINES — It took 26 games, but somebody finally discovered a tonic to Scarlet Fever.
It came from Kiah Stokes’ vast ability. It came from D.J. Norman’s grit.
And it came from Kiley Haines’ courage.
Haines paused, shot and delivered the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:10 remaining, and top-ranked Linn-Mar edged No. 2 Des Moines East, 38-35, to win the Class 4A girls’ state basketball championship Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
“If you draw it up, maybe she wouldn’t be our first option,” said Linn-Mar Coach Mike Brandt. “I don’t care who steps …

A look at the action at the girls’ state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Saturday.
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP
#2 Waukon (25-1) vs. #1 Sioux City Heelan (25-1)
Time: 6 p.m.
Coaches: Waukon Coach Gene Klinge is the winningest coach in state history. He has a 48-year record of 956-218 with 16 state appearances. Darron Koolstra is in his first year at Heelan and is 25-1.
Top players: Mary Halvorson (5-11, sr.) paces Waukon at 17.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Logan Hjerleid (5-7, sr.) adds 9.7 ppg. Carli Tritz (5-11, …