LINN-MAR 34, CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER 31

Top-ranked Linn-Mar had to grind this one out to keep its dream season

alive.

The unbeaten Lions never got untracked but still managed to escape with

a 34-31 victory over No. 13 Cedar Rapids Xavier on Wednesday in the first

round of Class 4A play.

It was the closest call of the season for Linn-Mar, which had only

three other games decided by single-digit margins. The Lions are now 24-0

and have a date in the semifinal round at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Jamie Printy, who has signed with the University of Iowa, led Linn-Mar

with 11 points and D.J. Norman scored 10, including a couple of big buckets

in the fourth quarter -- a 3-pointer that gave her team a 30-25 lead and

then a driving shot that kept the margin at five.

Xavier, which kept the game at the methodical pace it wanted, drew to

32-31 on Kaylee Gidney's two free throws with 46.9 seconds left. The Saints

then had to foul and Printy made two free throws with 25.2 seconds to play

to make it 34-31.

Xavier missed a good look at a 3-pointer and the Saints' Shea Bartz ran

down the rebound. Linn-Mar's Morgan Terpstra then picked off a Xavier pass

and was fouled, but she missed the free throw with 3.5 seconds to go,

giving Xavier one more chance. Caitlin Kray missed a running 3-point

attempt from just inside the half-court line at the buzzer.

Kray and Colleen Bouchard led Xavier with seven points each and Gidney

scored six. Xavier finished 15-9, with three of those losses coming to

Linn-Mar.

Linn-Mar's Kia Stokes was held to four points but grabbed 10 rebounds

and blocked eight shots. The eight blocks matched the fifth-highest total

in a state tournament game.